Yesterday it was my turn to work with the VFW and serve as the pastor for our community Memorial Day wreath laying service. As a veteran and a pastor I am honored to serve in that capacity. I started my part of the service by quoting the words of Jesus found at John 15:13
"No one has greater love than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends."
I then asked those gathered to raise their hand if they had lost a father, mother, son or daughter protecting the freedom we have in this country. Those who raised their hands numbered about 5%. I shared the words of Winston Churchill:
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"
I then shared the stories of 4 of those who received the medal of honor "laying down their life (one each from Iraq, Somalia, Vietnam, WWII).
I closed by sharing with them the following statistics:
The Soviet Union lost 13.71% (23,100,000 killed) of their population during WWII. It is estimated that the have lost another 55-60 MILLION to the KGB, Gulags, Forced labor and starvation... all to buy the freedom they now have and that which they call freedom we would see as an oppressive regime!
In the U.S. we have more freedom than almost anywhere else in the world and that freedom was paid for by the blood of the few who bravely fought and died for the reality that the life and liberty of the many sometimes outweighs the the life of the one...
May we never forget "so much is owed by so many to so few"...
Blessings
RevJonG
