By Charles Colson (1931-2012)
Memorial Day is when we honor the men and women of our Armed Services who have made ‘the supreme sacrifice,’ giving their lives for their country. Especially these days, when Memorial Day seems nothing more than a time for cookouts and swim parties, we cannot be reminded often enough about how great a debt we owe our war dead. They gave up their hopes and dreams, families and friends. They submitted themselves to rigorous discipline (something I understand as a former Marine), 24-hour a day duty, and placed their lives in great peril. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Their sacrifice should inspire in us a profound sense of gratitude– gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, bought with a price. And that gratitude should compel us to lives of service as well; serving Christ, our neighbor, and yes, our nation.
I can’t help but recall the ending of the brilliant film Saving Private Ryan (1998). James Ryan, now in his seventies, has returned with his family to the military cemetery in Normandy. He visits the grave of Captain John Miller, the man who a half a century before, led the mission to retrieve– to save– Private Ryan. At the end of the mission, Miller was fatally wounded. As he lay dying, his final words to Private Ryan were, “James, earn this. Live a good life. Earn this.” In other words, men have died for you, now live a life worthy of such a sacrifice.
We then see Ryan kneeling at Captain Miller’s grave, marked by a cross. Ryan, his voice trembling with emotion, says, “Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.”
Red-eyed, Ryan turns to his wife and says, “Tell me I’ve led a good life… tell me I am a good man.”
With great dignity, she says, “You are.”
With that, James Ryan salutes the grave of Captain Miller. You see, Private Ryan, out of gratitude for Captain Miller’s sacrifice, did all in his power to live a good life.
Memorial Day is a great time for each of us to look into the mirror… to examine our own lives. Columnist George Will called the film “a summons to gratitude.” Are we living good lives in gratitude for all those who have sacrificed for us– including our men and women in the military, our families, our friends, and most of all Christ? Are we, like Ryan, kneeling before the cross? Spielberg, a master cinematographer, had to realize the power of this imagery. Are we, out of gratitude, doing our duty for Christ in whatever field to which the Lord has called us?
Examine your life. And this Memorial Day, at the very least, thank those who have sacrificed for you and those you know who have served in our nation’s armed forces. Maybe you’ll do what I do when you see someone in uniform… at the airport, at the store, wherever… walk up to them and thank them for their service.
And then go and remember Whom it is you serve.
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THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED AND ARE SERVING IN OUR ARMED FORCES.
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John 15:13 — (Jesus said), “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Joshua 24:14-15 — (Joshua said), “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
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A prayer for soldiers and sailors from an old Army and Navy Service Book:
Blessed Lord Jesus, who knows the depths of loneliness and the dark
hours of the absence of human sympathy and friendliness: help me to pass
the weary hours of the night and the heavy hours of the day, as you did, and
know that you are with me, as your Father was with you. Lift up my heart to
full communion with you; strengthen me for my duty; keep me constant to
my trust, and let me know that however dark or desolate the hour, I am not
alone, for you are with me; your rod and your staff are my comfort;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
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The 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan tells the story of a mother who has four sons serving in the military in World War II. She receives word that three of them have been killed in action. The army sends a group of men to find the remaining son, Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), so he can be sent home. The rescue team is led by Captain Miller (Tom Hanks). Several, including Captain Miller, are killed in the effort.
The movie is based on a true story of the four sons of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Niland of Tonawanda, New York, all serving in combat in World War II. The family received word that two sons were killed in the D-Day invasion, and one was missing and presumed dead after his plane was shot down over Burma. The fourth son was a paratrooper on D-Day and was dropped behind enemy lines. He was found without too much trouble and sent home. The rescue effort was a story created for the movie.
The fact that the story of the rescue is fictional takes away nothing from the reality of the sacrifices made and the emotions felt at the end of the movie. There is a story of courage and sacrifice and grief behind every one of the crosses in the background– those, and the millions of others who died to preserve our nation and the freedoms we enjoy here. Today, we remember them. For a powerful reminder, watch this five minute film-clip from the closing scene of Saving Private Ryan.
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