[Transcript of speech delivered by Pastor Barry Nelson (First American Lutheran Church-Tripp and Hope Lutheran Church-Delmont) at the Memorial Day observance in Tripp, SD on May 29, 2023.  Pastor Nelson served in the Army Reserve from 2002-2010 and was deployed to Afghanistan from Jan 2007-Jan 2008 with the 13^th Psychological Operations Battalion.]

Good morning.  I’d like to extend a special thanks to the Jelkin-Harms American Legion Post #142 and its Auxiliary for inviting me to speak on this special occasion.  Thank you.

Today, on this Memorial Day, we gather together in thanksgiving to God for the freedom we have as a nation and in remembrance of the great price that was paid to secure and defend that freedom.  Today is a day that brings to mind the sacrifices that have been made by all those in uniform who have risked their lives in service to our country. It is ironic that to defend freedom, the first step is signing away virtually all of your freedoms. But that is the choice many have made to defend our nation. This day is often used to pay tribute to those who served in our Armed Forces and have since passed on. But most solemnly, this day has been set aside to remember and honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom on the battlefield.

But if we were to only honor their sacrifice through words and thoughts, we would be guilty of a great injustice.  For Memorial Day is not rightly observed by just remembering their sacrifice, but it also requires that we remember the responsibility their sacrifice lays on us – both as a nation and as individuals. For each time someone puts on the uniform in service to our country, and certainly each time that uniform is stained with blood, a sacred trust is formed.  An unspoken trust that our country will not take their heroes and their sacrifices for granted.  A trust that our country would honor them by using the freedom they have entrusted us with properly.  For when freedom that was paid for through selfless sacrifice is used only for vanity and self-seeking ends that breaks the sacred trust.  When we neglect to care for our Veterans and their families, especially the families of the fallen, we break that sacred trust.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the proper use of freedom in Galatians 5:13-14:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Certainly Paul is talking about a freedom greater than that of the civic freedom that we are focused on today, but the message still rings true.  We need to not only cherish our freedom, but we need to be careful to use it properly.  We need to use it in humility, looking out not only for our own interests but also for the interests of others.

We also properly honor the sacrifice of the fallen by teaching our young people the value of freedom and the responsibility that comes with it. We need to teach them that the freedom we enjoy in America is not the norm around the world, and it has certainly not been the norm throughout history. Yes, we need to be honest with them about America’s flaws, but not at the expense of ignoring or disparaging America’s virtues. We need to teach our children the full history of our nation.

They need to know what President Abraham Lincoln expressed in his Gettysburg address, which began by looking back at America’s history:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Then, Lincoln looked honestly at the present tragedy:

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

And he ended that address by looking forward in hope:

We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Our young people need to know this history, and they need to know that America, and the ideals on which it was founded, is still worth fighting for.

President Ronald Reagan pointed out the uniqueness of America in his Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery on May 31, 1982, when he said:

I can’t claim to know the words of all the national anthems in the world, but I don’t know of any other that ends with a question and a challenge as ours does: Does that flag still wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? That is what we must all ask.

That question and challenge is part of the sacred trust that exists between those who have died for liberty and those of us who benefit from their sacrifice.

First and foremost, we have a sacred trust with those who have been Killed In Action.  They died trusting that America will not only remember them but that we would take care of those that they leave behind.  The Veteran’s Administration, or VA, states this in their mission statement which reads, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise ‘To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan’ by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans.” This is the foundation of our part of the sacred trust. We owe it to those who gave their lives in service to our country to look after those they have left behind. But this is only the start of our obligation.

Second, we also have a sacred trust with those who are captured or missing in action (POW/MIA).  It is our responsibility to see that they are not forgotten. It is our responsibility to do what we can to return those left behind, even those who died long ago so those families can be freed from the uncertainty of not knowing what happened to their loved ones.

Third, we have a sacred trust with those veterans who return home after being Wounded In Action.  For they trust that their sacrifice would also be remembered, and that we would honor the responsibility we have as a nation to take care of our wounded warriors – those whose lives may be forever changed. This includes treating the outward wounds as well as those wounds that are carried around on the inside. We must ensure that they receive excellent and timely medical care.

Fourth, we have a sacred trust with those citizens of other nations that have worked and fought alongside our service members to provide invaluable insight to assist our service members in completing their mission. This is often one that is overlooked. And this trust was completely disregarded in our recent hasty and sloppy withdrawal from Afghanistan. Not only did we leave behind American citizens, but we also abandoned many of the Afghan nationals that worked with us – those that risked their lives and the lives of their family because they believed our promises – promises that were broken. In the days before and after the bombing at the airport that left 13 US service members and over 170 Afghan nationals dead, I was speaking with one of those interpreters who worked with us during my deployment to Afghanistan. He was angry with what was taking place, and rightfully so, and that anger only intensified when he found out two of his cousins were killed in that bombing. We had broken that sacred trust.

On Memorial Day it is easy to honor the dead with words, but will we honor the sacred trust by fulfilling our promises as a nation. We will honor the dead by honoring and looking out for their battle buddies who are still with us, especially for those who are struggling?  This is where our resolve, our appreciation, and our honor is best seen.  President John F. Kennedy once remarked, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” How do we take care of those who have taken care of us?  We, as a nation, have not always kept that sacred trust.

And that is why organizations like the American Legion and its Auxiliary, and the VFW, and other Veteran’s groups are so important.  First, this sacred trust falls on us, fellow Veterans. We who would never leave behind a comrade on the battlefield need to ensure that we do not leave anyone behind at home either.

Second, this responsibility falls on every American. And not just those who supported a certain war or military action, but it is the duty of every American, regardless of political affiliation or opinion. Our brave men and women fight for our country as a whole. They fought to defend America, even when the immediate cause was uncertain. It could be argued that no one knows our country’s flaws better than those who fight for it, and those here who have served know exactly what I mean, and yet, they fought on – not because they agreed with every decision, but because they knew that despite its imperfections, America is still worth fighting for.

The worth of their sacrifice must never be measured by the outcome of the battle or by the long-term success or failure of a military action. For the cause they fight for in every action is the same – the United States of America. And my hope for our country today is that we will acknowledge when we have broken that sacred trust and work together, and quickly, to honor the fallen by honoring their comrades and families.  We cannot properly honor our fallen heroes without honoring our living heroes – especially the families of our fallen and our wounded warriors.

Today, I would like to honor specifically two heroes that I served with in Afghanistan: SGT Charles Kitowski III, who volunteered to go on patrol with another unit, and was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2007 by a roadside bomb, and SGT Clinton Dickey, who died at home in 2010 from an accidental overdose of prescription pain-killers shortly after returning from a second deployment while waiting for weeks to be seen at the VA for a back injury sustained in Afghanistan.

This Memorial Day let us honor our fallen heroes with words – wonderful words – our best words, but let us also honor them also by our best actions. Let us prove our gratitude by meeting the needs of our Veterans and their families. Let us honor that sacred trust by using our freedom well.  Let us remember that the freedom of our nation was gained, and is only maintained, through selfless sacrifice.  And may we, too, learn to give of ourselves. For that is the only way that will ensure a positive response for many years to come, to that question, “does that flag still wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

Thank you, and may God bless America.