Today is Veterans Day and we set it aside to remember and honor all those who have served our country in military duty. We are grateful to live in the country we do and give thanks for the sacrifice of those who have stood guard in defense of our beloved country.
Last night I spent the evening with several Marines and Marine Families from my congregation as we celebrated the birthday of the US Marine Corps on November 10, 1775. We heard stories from Col. Rance Nymeyer from his days as the co-pilot of Marine 1 and Capt. Dick Baker told us about his ongoing struggle to get assistance for so many of the veterans struggling with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Sgt. Lee Pennington regaled is with stories from Boot Camp -- a slightly revised, cleaner version of reality, and of his combat in the Korean War. For me it was an evening full of some tears, a great deal of laughter, and most of all a swelling heart for having the honor to know and pastor these fine veterans. Their hearts swelled when I told them that the first person I ever baptized was a Marine set for deployment in Iraq in 2006.
At the conclusion of the evening another friend was asked to read a poem by LCDR Jeff Giles, about a male-believe conversation between a civilian and a soldier, "perhaps a Marine" standing guard outside in the cold on Christmas Eve. The civilian welcomes the soldier in, but the soldier explains that it is his duty to stand outside and "at the front of the line" that separates the civilian and his home and family "from the darkest of times. The poem concludes with these lines:
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
I can stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled."
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
I can stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled."
Veterans have fought and bled for us and our posterity on far away beachheads. May we today remember and honor their service and sacrifice and dedicate ourselves always to fighting the good fight for them and their posterity here at home.
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