A Memorial Day message

"What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal...” ~ Albert Pine

A special Memorial Day message from Ssgt. John Eric Mejia...

CampHope: As we gather today at barbeques, parks, and beaches, I would ask that we all take a moment to remember why it is that we have this day? Let us not do so somberly, but proudly. Let us honor all our Veterans, dead and living. What this day and all the memorial parks around the nation do is not to let us forget the Veterans who sacrificed to give us our freedom, but rather gives us a day and a place to honor their memory.

This day pays tribute to our Fallen Veterans' contributions to American Freedom, it should remind all who hear the phrase "Freedom isn't Free" that those are not just words, they are a value, a belief in the way of life that puts service for others above self. The American people cannot and should not ever forget what these Heroes did for us. We as a nation must keep faith with all our fallen Heroes and our Veterans. This then begs the question, "How do we honor those who've sacrificed for us and our country?”

I would ask you to search yourself for the answer. What is the measure of my resolve to give thanks for the freedoms that I have and that my family has been blessed with? What am I willing to do on my part to show thanks for these Freedoms that at times I take for granted, and that so many in the world long for? Search your heart for the answer.

We need to remember the sacrifice and the courage of our fallen Heroes. Whenever there was a time our nation or the world asked ordinary men and women to do extraordinary things, our Veterans heeded the call unselfishly. From the frozen defenses of Bastogne and the Chosen Reservoir, the deserts of North Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, the sweltering jungles of the Pacific and Vietnam, the European battlefields and all the battles at Sea and the Air Duels above foreign skies...any and all places our Veterans did their part to ensure freedom and peace.

Our honored Veterans and fallen gave up their futures so we can all have a brighter future with peace and freedom. ...

It can be said that the way we as a nation remember our Veterans and our war dead is a mark of our Nations character...and a measure of its heart and soul. All our Fallen Heroes and Veterans deserve our gratitude. They all deserve it for what they gave and deserve more than we can give for our peace and freedom. Ladies and Gentleman, never think that a handful of committed people cannot change the world...in fact it's the only thing that ever has! British Statesman and Philosopher, Edmund Burke once said "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing!"

Let us go forth and prove to our Veterans and Fallen Heroes, that we are worthy of the sacrifices borne by so few for so many.

God bless all our Fallen Heroes and their families...and God bless the United States of America.

Regardless of the deficiencies of our political classes, who've made it all too clear that our soldiers are 'Lions led by Donkeys,' we nonetheless remember their selfless sacrifice to secure the safety of our nation, the liberty of its people, and the preservation of both by facing any and all enemies both here and abroad.

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Why Can’t America Win a War Anymore?

In Time of War and Tumults.

ALMIGHTY God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Army.

O LORD God of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers of our country; Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Navy.

O ETERNAL Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea; Vouchsafe to take into thy almighty and most gracious protection our country’s Navy, and all who serve therein. Preserve them from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy; that they may be a safeguard unto the United States of America, and a security for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of our land may in peace and quietness serve thee our God, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorial Days.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

Source: 1928 BCP