How Meaningful is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day—this is a day to remember when many, many people gave their lives that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today. Please don’t be casual about Memorial Day. Make it meaningful.
General Hal Moore had 392 troops that were departing for Viet Nam. Read carefully this speech that he made to those men leaving with him. It depicts what genuine leadership is and why we have so many freedoms today. He said:
“Look around you. In the 7th Cavalry, we’ve got a captain from the Ukraine. Another from Puerto Rico. We’ve got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians, Jews and Gentiles—all Americans. Now, here in the States, some men in this unit may experience discrimination because of race, and creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone. We’re moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you as he will watch yours, and you won’t care what color he is or by what name he calls God. They say we are leaving home. We’re going to what home was always supposed to be. I can’t promise that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear before you and Almighty God: that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off. And I will leave no man behind, dead or alive. We will all come home together so help me God.”
Lt. General Moore (4 Stars) was a deeply committed Christian. He applied what the Bible teaches about real leadership. There were a lot of great leaders during that time—General Moore was one of the greatest. The speech he made was given to me by Toby Warren who was very close to General Moore and heard General Moore read this speech in Toby’s den in 2007.
America is where she is today because we have had leaders who lead. Leaders are not folks who get behind and try to push people to do something. Leaders step out front and invite people to follow them.
President Dwight Eisenhower demonstrated leadership to his cabinet by taking a large table and putting a 3-foot piece of string on it. He explained to them that there are two ways to move this string. One way is to get behind the last part of the string and push it forward. All that happens is that the front of the string stays where it is and the back part of the string just wads up and you have a pile of string. The other way to move the string is to take the front piece of the string and simply pull it and all the rest of the string comes along behind it. Leadership is stepping out front and leading, not trying to push from behind.
Leadership is by example. That’s what General Moore did. He promised that he would be the first boots on the ground and would be the last boots to leave, and no soldier would be left behind!
Reflect on this. Read it to your family. Share it with other people. Thank God for the people who have died for us. Pray for their families. Be willing to stand up and sound the trumpet for Godly leadership for America and for the world in the future. We need it!
Armed Forces Day is for those still in uniform. Veterans Day is for those who have hung up their uniforms. Memorial Day is for those who never made it out of their uniforms.
How will you make Memorial Day meaningful?
