Memorial Day / Mrs Amy Vassak

 

Mrs Amy Vassak

Pastor's Wife

Northeast Baptist Church

Danbury, CT

 

Memorial Day!!

 

 

A few years ago, my husband and I attended the birthday party of the young son of a family member. The party was being held on a Sunday afternoon which made it difficult for us to attend, and it was at a crowded restaurant.
Our oldest daughter was five years old, and had lost her first tooth on the way over, and she was bleeding...and crying...it was the beginning of a terrible afternoon.

It was so crowded that we couldn't even sit next to each other, but my husband was sea...ted next to an elderly man that was all by himself. He struck up a conversation with him to find out that he fought at Iwo Jima! He began to tell a story that I'm so glad I was close enough to hear.

He said he was sixteen when he signed up, but he lied and said he was eighteen. Even at a young age, he was a patriot, and wanted to go and fight like so many of the young men from his high school had done.

Before arriving on the shore at Iwo Jima, he was assigned the job of Flame-Thrower. These men had the difficult task of shooting flames into the bunkers where the Japanese were taking cover as they fought. The life expectancy of a Flame-Thrower was twelve seconds. Twelve seconds.

This elderly man recalled with tears running down his face, how he somehow made it to the top of that big hill and he was still alive. He couldn't believe it! Then he turned to look at the carnage below him, and his elation quickly turned to grief at the brave young men who had laid down their lives scattered all over the hillside.

My husband thanked him for his service, and he said this,

"Don't thank me, I'm no hero. I've lived my life. I got married. I had children. The real heroes are the ones who didn't make it back."

Of course, we consider that man a hero just the same, but on this Memorial Day weekend, remember those who have so bravely fought for our freedom, but they never came back. They lied about their ages to go and fight; their short lives were given without reservation.

Today we celebrate Memorial Day, a day that as Americans we observe to remember those soldiers who willingly laid down their lives so that we can enjoy life here in this great country of ours.

They gave up high school and college, so that we can further our education. 

They gave up their marriages, so that we could enjoy our marriages. 

They gave up becoming parents and grandparents so that we could have families. 

 They gave up future  careers so that we could work the jobs of our choosing.

 

They ran across battlefields so that today we can run across ballfields.

 

Never forget their sacrifice.

 

Freedom isn't free.

Freedom isn't free.