Pastor Duke Bendix
My dad was at Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944, part of the “D-Day” landing, the allies’ great assault against the Nazi stronghold in Europe. Along with tens of thousands of other men, Dad put his life at risk to the end of stopping something terrible (Nazism) and in the hope of restoring a more just and secure world.
Fifty years later, I had the privilege of walking this bit of French coastline with him and visiting the American cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach. There, in the 9,386 white crosses and Stars of David, is the memorial to those who died in that effort to bring freedom and restore hope to an oppressed world.
It is important to understand the difference between "remembering" and "memorializing.” Our culture, in its preoccupation with instant connectivity and real-time experience is losing the capacity to remember much at all. Why should I, after all, take the time to remember what I can quickly Google and find out about? Why should I memorize multiplication tables when my iPhone calculator will run the figures for me? Sadly, such a preoccupation with the now of life pushes aside the place & importance of memorials.
Memories are the experiences and people we recall and bring to mind. They can be good (that is, pleasant) or bad (difficult, even painful). Some memories are more important than others and we make special moments to recall and celebrate those people and experiences we value most; that's what birthdays and anniversaries are for.
But a memorial is something different. Memorials cause us to remember, to bring to mind events in the past, but in doing so, they call us to consider the meaning of those events. The Normandy cemetery is a powerful reminder of the great number of men who sacrificed their lives to bring deliverance and freedom to many, many others. The ground in which these men are buried has a palpable sense of sacredness because they made the greatest sacrifice one person can make for another. It is truly "hallowed ground" memorializing the immeasurable worth of what was done.
Memorial Day was originally a national holiday to remember those who had fought and died in the Civil War. Later it came to encompass the remembrance of all who gave their lives in service to this country. Memorial Day is not a day to honor veterans or those currently serving in our Armed Forces. That is what Veteran's Day is for. Rather, it is a nationally recognized moment to gratefully call to mind and honor those who "gave their utmost" for the freedom we enjoy.
"No greater love has any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends..." It is always fitting to remember the sacrifice of others and to affirm the worth of what they've done. Doing so makes us better people and fortifies us, should the moment require, to give "the last full measure of devotion" ourselves.