Op-Ed: 250 years, one promise: A Memorial Day reflection
“Take good care of the children.”
U.S. flags line veterans’ graves at Forest Glen Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day as the Reading community prepares to honor those who gave their lives in service to the coutnry. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Those were the last words Isaac Davis spoke to his wife, Hannah, as he headed off to war. Only a few hours later, he was shot through the heart and killed by a British musket ball in the early volleys of the American Revolution more than 250 years ago.
It was as if he already knew his fate.
Hannah later described his mood that morning as serious. Davis and his men were at his house eating breakfast and making final preparations for the impending fight. He knew the reality of war, and he’d accepted it.
On April 19, 1775, during the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Davis was among the first service members to ever die for this great country.
Over the next 250 years, more than 1.3 million American service members have done the same. Regular men and women have taken an oath to serve and defend our country and died in that service.
Uncommon valor, Navy Adm. Chester Nimitz once said, was a common virtue. He was talking about the Marines and sailors fighting on Iwo Jima. But he could’ve been speaking about any of these fallen heroes.
We must remember them all.
People like Tech Sgt. Ashley Pruitt of Bardstown, Kentucky. She was a 34-year-old mother—raising a 3-year-old daughter and a stepson with her husband, Gregory.
He described her as radiant.
“If there was a light in the room, she was it,” Gregory said.
Pruitt, an accomplished and seasoned boom operator of an Air Force KC-135 refueling tanker, was on her fourth deployment when her aircraft crashed this past March in western Iraq. She and the five other service members on that plane died supporting military operations in Iran.
They’re among the most recent service members to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
For many of us who’ve served, the memories of those who didn’t make it home with us are seared into our minds. Every day.
But Memorial Day allows all of us—the entire country—to reflect in unison on the sacrifices made by Davis, Pruitt and every fallen service member in between.
That unity, while under somber circumstances, is the very thing each of those fallen died for. We may never all agree on what forms “a more perfect Union,” as the Constitution describes it, but we can likely all agree the right to strive for it is worth fighting for.
Davis knew it. Pruitt knew it. Every one of the 1.3 million knew it.
Memorial Day has a special meaning for the survivors and those who served and sacrificed alongside our fallen heroes, like the nearly 1 million members of DAV (Disabled American Veterans). We honor and remember each person who gave their life for this country. It’s a promise we keep—to take good care of what, and who, they gave everything to protect.
About DAV:
DAV is dedicated to ensuring our promise is kept to America’s veterans. DAV does this by helping veterans and their families access the full range of benefits available to them, fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill, providing employment resources to veterans and their families, offering programs and services to empower them, and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. A nonprofit organization with nearly 1 million members, DAV was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Any veteran or Spouse needing assistance can contact the local DAV chapter at 617-967-6892
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