This post originally appeared at https://wifamilycouncil.org/radio/commemorating-sacrifice/

2025 | Week of May 19 | Radio Transcript #1619

Has your Memorial Day morphed into just a celebration of the coming of summer? Or do you still in some way observe the real meaning of this designated federal observance? Don’t get me wrong. I love Memorial Day—for both its significance and for the beginning of my favorite season. But amid the cookouts and fun, I want to make sure I’m doing something to truly give honor to whom honor is due—fallen soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to help secure my freedom.

Since the days of the Revolutionary War, many brave soldiers have died in the service of our country. But the tradition of commemorating a special day to remember them did not begin until after the Civil War.

In 1866, America was reeling from the devastating four-year Civil War. Although the fighting had ended a year earlier, tensions were still high. The South, where most of the war had been fought, bore the brunt of the physical and economic devastation. Yet, despite the high tensions, a group of women in Columbus, Georgia, began the tradition that would ultimately lead to our modern-day Memorial Day.

Several cities vie to claim the honor for holding the first Memorial Day ceremonies. While many cities practiced honoring the dead by strewing flowers on fallen soldiers’ graves, the first official ceremonies were initiated by the Ladies’ Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia. The association formed in 1866 to tend to the city’s neglected cemetery. They sent a letter to newspapers across the nation inviting other cities to join in a day of solemn remembrance of the dead soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers.

Unexpectedly, the ladies of Columbus and of other southern cities strewed flowers not only on the graves of Confederate soldiers, but also on the graves of their fallen Union enemies.[1] This unexpected act of forgiveness gained much appreciation from the North.

Up until World War I, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was then called, was set aside to specifically honor the fallen soldiers from the Civil War. Since World War I, the day has become an opportunity to honor fallen military personnel from all of America’s wars. Each year, Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices of these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and others and to think about the sacrifices we all ought to be making.

On Memorial Day in 1982, President Ronald Reagan said, “If words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.”  The best way to commemorate the sacrifices of the tens of thousands who have died in the defense of our country is for us the living to keep making sacrifices for our nation. When compared to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, our sacrifices are small.

One of the simplest yet most essential sacrifices that we can make for our country is to pray for our nation. This small sacrifice of time and effort holds eternal significance. We ought to be regularly praying for God’s guidance for our leaders and the safety of our service members here and abroad, as well as for their families.

Other sacrifices require greater effort because they involve participation, such as voting, running for a local government position or serving as a volunteer on a local government committee. Involvement in local government is a necessary sacrifice for upholding freedom and godly values in our nation.

We should also remember the families of fallen or active-duty service members. Simple tasks like mowing their lawns, watching their kids, or setting out their trash bins can be a huge blessing for those whose loved ones are gone. They are daily making great sacrifices for our nation. We should be able to make small ones for them. Every day we reap the benefits of others’ sacrifices. What will we do to give back?

The celebration of Memorial Day began with a small sacrifice. A few women sacrificed their time to honor fallen soldiers, including those who had once been their enemies. They sacrificed their bitterness, hurt, and anger for a higher cause. We too can sacrifice for a higher cause. Ultimately, the highest cause we can sacrifice for is the cause of Christ. But we also have a duty to be faithful citizens of our earthly home. This Memorial Day may we commit to living lives characterized by joyful and selfless sacrifices for our God, our families, and our nation.

For Wisconsin Family Council, this is Julaine Appling, reminding you that God, through the Prophet Hosea, said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

[1] https://nationalinfantrymuseum.org/who-observed-memorial-day-first-the-mystery-explained/

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