Memorial Day 2010

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”
~Thucydides, Ancient Greek historian and author, 460-404bc



The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.~Minot J. Savage


For love of country they accepted death... ~James A. Garfield


“And each man stands with his face in the light of his own drawn sword. Ready to do what a hero can.”
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning


They are dead; but they live in each Patriot’s breast,
And their names are engraven on honor’s bright crest.
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived. — General George S. Patton




And so I will thank God, but I will thank them as well, the men and women who sacrificed their lives so that I may sleep safely at night, secure in my property and my freedoms.



And I will pray for them, especially those who died far away from the land they loved:

Lord, we pray for the souls of our dear brothers, called to duty and lost forever on foreign shores. Grant them eternal rest in your arms, these servants of our country, honor and freedom.

Grant that they be remembered...Grant that their sacrifice be understood, and grant them a place at your side in Heaven. "Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." Amen.

And please spare a moment for our countrymen who still toil on the fields of battle: