Memorial Day – 250th Anniversary

Mayor Hmara, Fire Chief Vomero, fellow veterans, and my fellow Americans:

Today, we gather on this sacred Memorial Day during the 250th anniversary of our great nation. This is no ordinary Memorial Day. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the flame of liberty was kindling in the hearts of a determined people. Today, we pause to remember and honor those who paid the ultimate price so that we might live in that freedom.

Memorial Day was first widely observed as Decoration Day on May 30, 1868, when Union veterans called on the nation to decorate the graves of those who fell in the Civil War. It has since become our solemn day to remember all who gave their lives in service to this country. It is a day set apart to remember those who gave the final measure of sacrifice—their last full breath—for the flag we love.

Yet how many of us truly remember amid the beaches, the backyard BBQs, and the pool parties? In the midst of our celebrations, let us not forget the cost of freedom.

In May and June of 1776, the American colonies stood at a crossroads. The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia while the war had already raged for over a year. Public opinion was deeply divided—roughly one-third favored independence, one-third wanted to remain loyal to Britain, and the rest were uncommitted either way. Yet a committed minority chose sacrificial courage. They heeded Benjamin Franklin’s warning: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Because, death by hanging was the very real punishment for the very real treason they were committing against Great Britain. So, they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to their principles…and to one another.

Approximately 25,000 Americans died during the Revolutionary War, most of those from disease and hardship rather than from battle.

Since that founding conflict, we’ve fought the war of 1812, wars with Mexico and Spain, 2 World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam, nearly 677,000 more American service members made the ultimate sacrifice. If those numbers seem low compared to what you might expect, it is because they do not include the bloodiest war we ever fought—the Civil War—a war we fought amongst ourselves. Roughly 700,000 Americans died in that terrible conflict. More than all the others combined, largely to end the abomination of one man owning and dominating another in America.

In more recent times, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11, over 7,000 more American service members gave their lives, with tens of thousands more wounded.

But the tragedies don’t end on the battlefields. One of the great American tragedies of our day is veteran suicide. In 2023 alone, almost 6400 veterans died by their own hand—and those are just the numbers the VA reports. The veteran suicide rate overall is 12% higher than the national average. And if you look at veterans ages 18-40—think Afghanistan and Iraq veterans—it is three times that average. As a nation, we should be embarrassed! Far too many of our heroes who survived the enemy on the field are losing their battle here at home. And it’s often linked to substance use disorder and the invisible wounds of war.

Abraham Lincoln warned us: “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.” He understood that no foreign enemy could destroy this nation if we remained true to our principles. Yet today we must ask: Are we still remaining true to those principles? We seem to have forgotten them along with our common roots. We have allowed political, cultural, and spiritual divisions to tear us apart. We shout past one another instead of reasoning together. We tear down rather than build up. We are destroying ourselves from within.

But there is still hope.

The same God who sustained those patriots of 1776 has not changed. In 2 Chronicles 7 He promises: “If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” He doesn’t ask for everyone to do it, just those who call on His holy name.

As chaplain and founder of Guardians Grace Ministries, I believe His promise is still true. Our ministry exists to bring God’s healing, hope, and restoration to veterans and others battling substance use disorder. We work every day to help break the painful link between addiction and veteran suicide—because no hero should have to fight alone after they come home.

 So on this particular Memorial Day—in this historic 250th anniversary year—let us truly remember. Let us remember the sacrificial courage of 1776. Let us remember the fallen of every generation whose last breaths keep our flag flying. Let us remember those still fighting invisible battles at home. Let us remember the meaning of the colors of the flag: the red stripes for the valor and blood they shed, the white stripes for the pure ideals they defended, and the stars on their field of blue for the unbreakable union they fought to preserve. And let us commit ourselves anew to humility, prayer, unity, and the healing of our land.

May God bless our veterans, 

may God bless the memory of the fallen, 

and may God bless the United States of America.

Thank you