http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865590328/Soldiers-run-their-own-race-to-remember-the-fallen-while-reminding-us-all-of-the-costs-of-war.html
The link above was another article that was put out regarding our Ragnar shadow run. As I was reading the comments next to a Ragnar Facebook post on the race, I saw this comment:
Dan Evans I
lost my little brother exactly 1 year ago this Friday night. He was a
Navy Corpsman serving with the Marines. He always yelled "FINISH STRONG"
at our races. This race will have extra meaning for me, knowing I am
running in his honor, and all those who have and continue to serve our
wonderful country! So yes, when you think of quitting...FINISH STRONG!
What a sobering reminder of what has been lost for so many--beyond what mere races and monuments can memorialize. I remembered this comment as I prayed at our joint American-Canadian Memorial Day ceremony here in the north. Soldiers from both forces stood at attention. A wreath was laid before memorial markers of soldiers lost at that post. The story of two of them (including a great deal of heroism) can be found at this link:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/08/us/cnnheroes-war-widower/
I talked to a number of veterans-turned-contractors after the event. One was a member of the New Zealand army and fought alongside our soldiers in Vietnam. (Don't forget that the South Koreans, Australians, and New Zealanders stood by us in those dark days. They too had to change out of their uniforms before they went out in public.)
My prayer was only structured in my head, but it went something like this:
O Lord our God,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Who permits war,
And brings about peace.
On this solemn day of remembrance,
we consider the blood that was spilt by so so many of our countrymen
in service of freedom and the peace of of our free peoples.
We remember those who fought and fell together on the Italian peninsula,
on the beaches at Normandy, along the Korean DMZ, and here in Afghanistan.
We remember these names through names more recent,
like MCpl Byrom Greff, the last Canadian to die here in Afghanistan,
and by names like Flores and Alguin,
two of our Task Force Guam friends who were lost six months ago.
As we consider the great sacrifices of soldiers like these,
we also consider the great brokenness of a world that necessitated these sacrifices.
With the Psalmist, we are left to cry out:
I lift my eyes up to the mountains. Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You, maker of heaven and earth.
In our pain, give us purpose.
Amidst the chaos, give us hope.
As we train our hands for war, fit our hearts for peace.
And as each of these soldiers pray in accordance with their own traditions,
I pray in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
