Faithfully yours - The personal side of war: part three

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Published on Saturday, November 19, 2016

By Neil Strohschein

Neepawa Banner

By the time you read these words, Remembrance Day 2016 will be history. The window displays will have been taken down, the wreaths put away, the poppy boxes collected and any decorations placed on the graves of our veterans will have been removed.

We will be busy doing what we always do at this time of year; decorating our homes and getting ready to welcome family members who are coming home for Christmas.

But let’s not put Remembrance Day out of our minds just yet. Today, let’s think about what we saw, what we heard, what we read and what we learned last week.

A few weeks ago, I came across these words that deepened my appreciation for those who fought on the front lines in the great wars; and who continue to defend the freedoms and values that all Canadians cherish. I hope they will do the same for you.

“It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the peace camp organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, who serves beneath the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

It is the soldier, not the politician, who has given his body, his blood, his life.

It is the soldier who has given us these freedoms.”

And it is the soldier whose voice cries out today as it has since his body was returned to the earth from which it came, saying: “For your tomorrow, I gave my today.”

We cannot—indeed we must not allow those words to fall on deaf ears. They demand a response from us. We must act now to ensure that no soldier’s life is ever given in vain.

Here is something we all can do. Make a list of family members who are one generation younger than you—your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews. Next list the hopes and dreams they have shared with you—the careers they want to pursue, the places they hope to visit, their dreams of home and family—dreams that you once had and were able to fulfill.

Then, think of those who, in the first half of the past century went to war. Some of them were the same ages as the people on your list. They didn’t have the freedom to say “No.” When they were called, they had to go to war. They hoped to come back. They wanted to come back. But some of them didn’t come back. For your tomorrows, for my tomorrows, they gave their todays.

There is, in my view, only one appropriate response to their sacrifice; and that is to look up to heaven, to the God of our understanding and say something like this: “Lord God, so that my children and theirs may have many tomorrows to achieve their hopes and dreams, I gladly give my todays in loving service to my family, to my community, to my country, to my world and to you, my Lord and my God.”

Then, having said these words, go out and do what Jesus asks all of us to do—Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; and love your neighbors as ourselves. In other words, for their tomorrows, give your todays.

Lord God of hosts, be with us yet—lest we forget, lest we forget!