The Last Full Measure of Devotion
Memorial Day, lest we forget, is about sacrifice. It's about remembering and thanking those who have poured out that last full measure of devotion; those volunteers in defense of the worthy, and the unworthy, of family, friends, and total strangers. It falls to us to remember, as those charged with doing so will not:
Lost Heroes of the War on Terror: Gallant Deeds and Untold Tales
Our culture immortalizes show-biz celebrities - shouldn’t we know the names and hear the stories of our nation’s true heroes?
By Jeff Emanuel
PajamasMedia
Despite taking place in the Information Age, very few of the heroic exploits of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines since September 11, 2001, have made their way into the living rooms of ordinary Americans - at least in any lasting way.
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This disappointing reality is not unique to the current decade. Who, for example, can name the most recent pre-global war on terror (GWOT) recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor? The names of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon - two Army special operations sergeants who received the nation’s highest award for their heroic actions in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 - are utterly foreign to the vast majority of the same American population that can name the latest movie star to file for divorce, the latest starlet to have borne a child out of wedlock, or the latest teen sensation to enter alcohol rehab.
Read the whole thing this Memorial Day, rejoice in the memory of heroes such as these, and to the Lord of Hosts sing Hallelujah.
Lost Heroes of the War on Terror: Gallant Deeds and Untold Tales
Our culture immortalizes show-biz celebrities - shouldn’t we know the names and hear the stories of our nation’s true heroes?
By Jeff Emanuel
PajamasMedia
Despite taking place in the Information Age, very few of the heroic exploits of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines since September 11, 2001, have made their way into the living rooms of ordinary Americans - at least in any lasting way.
...
This disappointing reality is not unique to the current decade. Who, for example, can name the most recent pre-global war on terror (GWOT) recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor? The names of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon - two Army special operations sergeants who received the nation’s highest award for their heroic actions in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 - are utterly foreign to the vast majority of the same American population that can name the latest movie star to file for divorce, the latest starlet to have borne a child out of wedlock, or the latest teen sensation to enter alcohol rehab.
Read the whole thing this Memorial Day, rejoice in the memory of heroes such as these, and to the Lord of Hosts sing Hallelujah.