May 23, 2008 Memorial Day 2008

Dear E-pistle subscriber,

Last year, for Memorial Day’s e-pistle, I shared with you the entirety an essay from the Rev. William Shand, Rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac, Maryland.

This year, I want to share with you an excerpt from that same essay:

It is not my purpose here to enter the dispute about the policy of the administration over the conduct of the latest war. What I do wish to suggest, however, is that when America’s service personnel are sent in harm’s way, they represent the entire nation, and their service -- even unto death -- represents a considerable sacrifice on the part of us all.

True, on the home front things may look like any other day, but please do not tell that to the mother of a son or daughter in Iraq or in a submarine patrolling the ocean’s depths or flying over this city at all hours of the day and night. They are our sons and daughters, and if we at home do not have to scrimp on commodities or plant Victory gardens, they represent us. That is why we pray for them.

The origins of Memorial Day lie in dispute, but there is something common to the stories: A realization that the health of the nation depends, in part, on remembering valiant services rendered. The casualty rates in 1861-65 filled the cemeteries with the flower of American youth, and the decoration of graves began to commemorate those who rested there.

Has this moment in the nation’s life now become nothing more than an unofficial start to summer, a time for used car sales and jam-packed highways? If the answer is yes, then maybe we need a different sacrifice -- a more concerted effort to know the history of a good and decent nation, and the valiant servants in this and every generation.

In that spirit, I hope that you make a point, sometime this weekend, to pause to remember those men and women of the armed forces who gave their lives in service to our nation.

It doesn’t take much: a simple prayer of thanksgiving at some point in the cookout; making a point to display the American flag this weekend or attending Leesburg’s Memorial Day Ceremony to be held Monday at 10:00 a.m. at the Loudoun County Courthouse, (more information at http://www.leesburgva.gov/government/news/default.aspx?articleid=660).

Faithfully yours,

Fr. John