MEMORIAL DAY: Honoring Those Who Gave Their Lives

Memorial Day became common as “Decoration Day” during and then after the Civil War for Americans to set aside certain days to remember soldiers who died on duty, usually by “decorating” their graves and holding picnics, parades, and other events.

So many died during and after the Civil War that their memories remained fresh for many years in the minds of their friends and families, who used such ceremonies to process their grief and honor the dead and the cause for which they served. Eventually these varied ceremonies among North and South coalesced into one day that ultimately became a federal holiday.

Soon before his re-election and the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln faced dark days of worry about both. He asked some Ohio soldiers to stop at the White House while on their way home from the battlefield, and in brief remarks to them expressed the unifying reason he and they fought for the country they loved: its “dedication to the proposition” that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” The Federalist:

“Speech to the One Hundred Sixty-sixth Ohio Regiment,” President Abraham Lincoln, Washington, D.C. August 22, 1864.

I suppose you are going home to see your families and friends. For the service you have done in this great struggle in which we are engaged I present you sincere thanks for myself and the country. I almost always feel inclined, when I happen to say anything to soldiers, to impress upon them in a few brief remarks the importance of success in this contest.

It is not merely for to-day, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children’s children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives. I beg you to remember this, not merely for my sake, but for yours.

I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am a living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has. It is in order that each of you may have through this free government which we have enjoyed, an open field and a fair chance for your industry, enterprise and intelligence; that you may all have equal privileges in the race of life, with all its desirable human aspirations.

It is for this the struggle should be maintained, that we may not lose our birthright — not only for one, but for two or three years. The nation is worth fighting for, to secure such an inestimable jewel.

The Heroes Who Never Made It Home

Amil Imani writes:

The air feels heavier on Memorial Day, as if the weight of sacrifice lingers in the breeze.

Across the nation, flags ripple at half-mast, and quiet moments of reflection unfold in cemeteries, homes, and hearts.

This is not a day for barbecues alone or casual ushering in summer. It is a sacred pause, a collective breath to honor those who gave everything — their dreams, their futures, their very lives — for the freedoms we hold dear. Their stories, etched in courage, burn like an eternal flame, undimmed by time.

They were not faceless heroes. They were sons and daughters, siblings and spouses, friends who laughed too loudly and dreamed too big. They were the soldier who kissed a locket before charging into the fray, the pilot who flew one last mission under a sky torn by war, and the medics who shielded a comrade with their own bodies. Each name on a headstone and each star on a flag-draped coffin carries a universe of love, loss, and legacy.

On Memorial Day, we do not merely remember; we carry their fire forward.

Consider the young Marine who, in a distant land, stepped into harm’s way to protect a village he would never call home. Or the nurse who, amidst the chaos of a battlefield hospital, held a dying soldier’s hand, whispering comfort as life slipped away. These acts were not born of obligation but of a fierce, unspoken vow to stand for something greater than themselves. They fought not for glory but for the person beside them, for the ideals that bind us, for the hope of a world where freedom outlives tyranny.

Their sacrifice is a thread woven into the fabric of our nation. From the frostbitten fields of Valley Forge to the sun-scorched sands of Iraq, from the jungles of Vietnam to the mountains of Afghanistan, they answered the call. They faced the unimaginable — bullets, bombs, and the crushing weight of fear — and chose courage over comfort. Their blood nourished the roots of liberty, ensuring the tree of freedom stands tall, even as its branches bear the scars of their loss.

Memorial Day is not a distant history lesson but a living promise.

The fallen ask nothing of us but to live in a way that honors their gift. They ask us to cherish the ballot box they defended, to speak freely because they silenced oppression, and to embrace our loved ones because they could not. Their sacrifice is not a debt we can repay but a fire we must tend — a flame of gratitude, purpose, and unity.

Look around. The legacy of the fallen resides in the laughter of children playing without fear, in the quiet dignity of a veteran saluting a flag, and in the audacity of a nation that dares to dream of a better tomorrow. Yet, this legacy is fragile. It requires our vigilance, compassion, and resolve to bridge the divides that threaten to fray what they fought to preserve. To honor them is to reject apathy, to stand against injustice, and to create a world worthy of their sacrifice.

In small towns and sprawling cities, we see their faces reflected in memorials — granite etched with names, crosses standing sentinel, or a single rose left on a grave. But their truest monument is us. We are the living testament to their courage, tasked with carrying their light into a future they’ll never see. Every act of kindness, every stand for justice, and every moment we choose hope over despair is a tribute to their unbreakable spirit.

This Memorial Day, let us not just pause but take action.

Visit a cemetery and whisper a ‘thank you’ to a name you’ve never known. Write a letter to a Gold Star family, whose loss is a wound that never fully heals. Listen to a veteran’s story, not just to hear but to truly understand. Plant a seed of unity in a world that is too often divided. These are not grand gestures but sparks that keep the flame of their sacrifice alive.

Their voices echo in the dawn’s silence, in the rustling leaves beneath a flag’s shadow, in the heartbeat of the nation they cherished. They remind us that freedom is not free; it is purchased with the most precious currency of all. On this day, we do not mourn in solitude; we stand united, bound by their courage, uplifted by their sacrifice, and determined to ensure their flame never dims.

So, let us hold their memory close, not as a burden but as a beacon. Let us live boldly, love fiercely, and fight for a world that reflects the best of what they gave. To the fallen—whose names we may never know but whose legacy we carry—you are not forgotten. Your fire burns in us, eternal and unyielding, lighting the way for generations yet to come.