“Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths]… (Deuteronomy 4:9 AMP)
“Sometime back I received in the name of our country the bodies of four marines who had died while on active duty. I said then that there is a special sadness that accompanies the death of a serviceman, for we’re never quite good enough to them—not really; we can’t be, because what they gave us is beyond our powers to repay. And so, when a serviceman dies, it’s a tear in the fabric, a break in the whole, and all we can do is remember.
“It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives—the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember.
“There’s always someone who is remembering for us. No matter what time of year it is or what time of day, there are always people who come to this [Arlington] cemetery, leave a flag or a flower or a little rock on a headstone. And they stop and bow their heads and communicate what they wished to communicate…
“We’re surrounded today by the dead of our wars. We owe them a debt we can never repay. All we can do is remember them and what they did and why they had to be brave for us. All we can do is try to see that other young men never have to join them. Today, as never before, we must pledge to remember the things that will continue the peace. Today, as never before, we must pray for God’s help in broadening and deepening the peace we enjoy. Let us pray for freedom and justice and a more stable world. And let us make a compact today with the dead, a promise in the words for which [D-Day] General Ridgeway listened, ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’” (Joshua 1:5 KJV)
-President Ronald Reagan, Remarks from Veterans Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery – November 11, 1985
God,
On this Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their lives in service to our nation. We honor the young men and women whose sacrifices meant they would never grow old, never raise families, and never see the futures they might have had. Their lives were given to secure the freedoms we enjoy today, and we are deeply grateful. Help us to remember those who died so that we may seek to live in peace. We also pray that our nation would strive to prevent future generations from having to make the same sacrifice. Grant wisdom, guidance, and discernment to those who shape our foreign policy—President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and all others in positions of authority. We ask for peace, justice, and greater stability in our world. Bless us and keep us. Make your face shine upon us. And grant us your peace, we ask in Jesus’s name. Amen.
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26 KJV)