Cass County Connections
Memorial Day is more than just a day at the lake
We have a proud and patriotic heritage in Cass County. The halls of our Cass County justice center bear the names of service members going back decades. This month marks my 27th year in the Army Reserve. Over the course of several deployments, I have seen firsthand what war does to a country and its people. I was a young father when I deployed the first time. The fragility of human life is never more apparent than when you are holding a newborn. You realize just how precious life is and want to nurture and protect it. The value of human life can seem to plummet during war. The ultimate sacrifice is worthy of pause, reflection, and gratitude. When you travel overseas for the military you also come to realize what a special place the United States is. With each subsequent deployment and overseas assignment, each foreign country I set my boots on, I realized just how unique our country is in its freedom and republic form of democracy. It is a place worth fighting for.
Today, we remember and honor the American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, ordinary men and women, who died doing extraordinary things while in service to their country. This day marks the beginning of summer, and what could be a more fitting tribute to men and women who died in service to their country than the day that gives birth to a season filled with warmth and life. Memorial Day is not to be a day of solemn mourning, but a day of reverent celebration.
The graves at Arlington Cemetery and at countless cemeteries worldwide remind us that freedom is not free. The Soldiers resting there lived supporting the lives and the values that create the backbone of our nation. These Soldiers share a special heritage, a common bond with today’s Soldiers. These brave men and women left the safety of their sovereign soil to defeat tyrants, ensure justice and fulfill the promise of safety and security for our citizens and the global community. Their lives were dedicated not to conflict or death but to compassion and to life. We have all been touched by the ultimate sacrifice Soldiers have made in service to their country and the suffering it has brought to mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, spouses, and friends. We remember the families of the missing and the Gold-Star families who lost Soldiers to illness, injury and combat. Our nation is committed to the Warrior Ethos “I will never leave a fallen comrade behind” and continues its efforts to locate, identify and repatriate those men and women who have not returned home.
Today is more than a day to celebrate those who gave their lives in service to the nation. We should take the opportunity – to strengthen our own resolve for the challenges ahead. In this world, terror will not rest, violence will not sleep, and evil will not die. If we honor and remember those who have served, compassion will prevail, justice will triumph, and freedom will reign. I ask you to remember those who stand shoulder to shoulder against terror and oppression to carry freedom’s torch in foreign lands. Remember those serving, support their families. Let this Memorial Day be a beginning, a rebirth, of our commitment to live and to serve with passion, joy and enthusiasm.