Memorial Day and the Price of Freedom

A graceful sweep of white pillars gives shape to the World War II memorial in Washington, DC. At its center stands Freedom Wall, holding a field of 4,048 sculpted gold stars. Each star represents 100 Americans who died in the war; together they commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who lost their lives. In front of the wall, engraved in granite, are the words, “HERE WE MARK THE PRICE OF FREEDOM.”

These symbolic stars are reminiscent of the gold stars displayed by families of fallen service men and women during the Second World War. The gold stars on the Freedom Wall vividly bear witness to the fact that the ultimate price for freedom is paid both by those who serve and by their families.

In our nation’s capital, and in bustling city centers and quiet green parks across our great country, stand monuments dedicated to great military leaders, service members who performed acts of valor, and singular moments of victory. Occupying their rightful place of honor, these monuments proudly display the gratitude of a nation, and movingly bring to mind our solemn obligation to never forget those who gave their lives so we could live ours in peace and security.

On this Memorial Day, as we honor all U.S. service men and women who gave their last full measure of devotion, we also remember the countless personal monuments hidden from public view—the empty seat at a family dinner, the folded flag above a mantle, the memories that well up in a mother’s heart during quiet moments of reflection.

Behind the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice stand the living, resilient legacies of their loved ones’ service—the mothers and fathers, the husbands and wives, the siblings and children. In them we find our bedrock of patriotism, the continuing thread of our nation’s character, and an unbroken line of love and sacrifice for this country.

These family members understand the true price of freedom, as did their fallen loved ones, for they are the ones who have paid it. They carry on with solemn pride and resolve, despite unthinkable loss. America endures because of the sacrifice our troops have made to maintain our freedom, and because of the unending sacrifice their families continue to make.

Today, we at Bibles for America salute you, and we pray for you.

We are thankful as Americans. We are thankful as Christians. We know that our organization can exist because some have paid the price for freedom.

From all of us here at BfA, thank you for your service.