They were our Great American Soldiers and they came from all across this vast land.
They died so that we can bow our heads; now over our hearts we place a hand.
For we know that HE died for a reason, and that SHE died for a cause;
And it is because of their brave sacrifice that today America pushes pause.
We celebrate Memorial Day out of respect for our Soldiers and their memories;
But we dare not be amiss and overlook our Great American Soldiers’ legacies.
For we know it is one thing for someone to die at home encircled by loving friends and families;
It’s an entirely other thing to be killed far, far away surrounded by fear and your enemies.
You may agree with me or not, but I believe the soldier’s families suffer so much more.
There is a dramatic difference between dying here and being killed while away at war.
Both kinds of death are hard to take and both are filled with grief;
But it is for our Soldiers’ families and friends that we stop now to pray for relief.
Their moms, dads, uncles and aunts, cousins, little sisters and big brothers,
Grandmas, grandpas, husbands and wives, so many sons, daughters, and others.
We cannot honor our soldiers if we do not honor their families and friends,
So on this Memorial Day we must be careful the kind of message our country sends.
Do we LIVE for what they DIED for? Do I truly value my blood-bought FREEDOM?
Will you STAND UP for who they LAID DOWN for? Are we the America they hoped we’d BECOME?
These questions haunt us every day and hopefully make us look at ourselves clearer.
Are we LIVING UP to what they died for? Time for America to take a good look in the mirror.
