{"id":774,"date":"2009-05-25T04:01:31","date_gmt":"2009-05-25T04:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/05\/some-thoughts-for-memorial-day.html"},"modified":"2009-05-25T04:01:31","modified_gmt":"2009-05-25T04:01:31","slug":"some-thoughts-for-memorial-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/05\/some-thoughts-for-memorial-day.html","title":{"rendered":"Some Thoughts for Memorial Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most of my life, Memorial Day signified the beginning of summer with a day off from school or work. When I was in college, Memorial Day usually fell during my final exams, so it was an extra study day. For the next couple of decades, my major goal on Memorial Day was to avoid the crowds at campgrounds, parks, and beaches.
\nBut as I get older, I find myself thinking differently about Memorial Day. My new perspective began during the First Gulf War, when my brother-in-law was stationed in Bahrain. As Iraq hurled Scud missiles in his direction (and, remember, back then we feared these missiles might well contain chemical or biological weapons), I realized that my brother-in-law might die defending my freedom. For the first time in my life, the personal cost of war touched me. As it turned out, the Scuds were mostly duds, and my brother-in-law returned from the Persian Gulf safe and sound. But my heart had begun to change.
\nThen, as Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I got to know several men who had served in the military, many in the Vietnam War. Listening to their experiences once more touched my heart. One of these men encouraged our church to adopt a tradition of singing The Navy Hymn<\/a> (“Eternal Father, Strong to Save”) in the worship service prior to Memorial Day. We formed a men’s chorus, which I had the privilege to join. It was deeply moving to me to ask, in song, the Lord to protect those who put their lives in peril for the sake of our nation, and to do so with many brothers who had done this very thing. (To hear a portion of this hymn from a Navy choir, click here<\/a>.)
\nIn the last several years, my appreciation of Memorial Day has grown as I have had friends who have put their lives in harm’s way in Iraq. Though I haven’t known anybody who has been killed in this war, I have watched many news reports of families who have received the catastrophic news that their loved ones have died in battle. I find myself more and more moved by the sacrifice that people make for our country in general, and for me in particular. My gratitude is growing each year, and therefore my commitmen to make Memorial Day something more than the beginning of summer.
\nWhat we call Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day.\u00a0 It was a day to decorate the graves of the Union Soliders<\/a> who had died in the Civil War. Over time, Decoration Day included all who had died serving our country in our armed forces. It was also known as Memorial Day from the 1880s, though this did not become the offficial title until 1967. Congress fixed the day of Memorial Day to the last Monday in May by passing a law in 1968 that was enacted in 1971. Previously, Memorial Day always fell on May 30. In 1970, Memorial Day was celebrated on a Saturday, the last “non-Monday” holiday.)
\nThe core idea of Decoration Day \u2013 decorating the graves of fallen soldiers \u2013 has been forgotten by many Americans, but not at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.\u00a0 Every year, about 3,000 soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment place American flags by the graves of all who are buried in Arlington, more than 250,000 flags in total. I’ll close with a couple of photos of this tradition and one from last year’s Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery.
\nSoldiers preparing to put the flags by the graves:
\n
\nArlington National Cemetery with “flags in”:
\n
\nTwo children who lost their parents participate in Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington:
\n
\n(Photos of soliders and children from http:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For most of my life, Memorial Day signified the beginning of summer with a day off from school or work. When I was in college, Memorial Day usually fell during my final exams, so it was an extra study day. For the next couple of decades, my major goal on Memorial Day was to avoid…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nSome Thoughts for Memorial Day - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}