Why Remember?

Thoughts from Captain Seth Keshel

We have hope for a freer future thanks to the sacrifices of those who set aside self and invested in something they believed was greater than their own individual goals.

On this day of remembrance, Memorial Day 2024, you may be struggling to reconcile your valid feelings regarding today’s military industrial complex, and the last seven decades’ worth of unwinnable, unnecessary conflicts with your somber emotions for America’s combat dead and the families they left behind.  Each time there is a tragedy that spurs terrible loss of life, it is imperative to remember that even if there are nefarious reasons for the event, or untrue narratives spun surrounding said event (as is the case with the 9/11 tragedy), that there are real lives – fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters) – lost, with those left behind marred by the tragic memory.

For the free man, the one with the spirit of liberty desperately wishing to rekindle what we once had here and can have again – it is a no-brainer.  We honor the fallen of our nation, including those who died while serving out their missions in wars waged for dishonorable purposes.  Nearly every one of these fallen warriors set out on that personal journey for no more than a handful of reasons – because they believed that there was something bigger than their own lives out there, that laying down one’s own life for a friend (John 15:13) was more important and honorable than preserving it for themselves, and because their hearts were sensitive to the preservation of a way of life – namely that way of life that values and upholds God-given, inalienable freedoms, the polar opposite of the system of “values” upheld by communist or Islamic theocratic nations who oversee the stoning of women who dare to learn to read, still to this day.

The combat fallen have spoken to me, a veteran who served his time and hung up the uniform, and continue to do so long after my time in service.  Last year, I wrote of my visit to see my father’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery, not long before Memorial Day.  While making my way back to the front of the park, I saw the following marker:

It belonged to a Navy Lieutenant Commander named Jason Michael Price, who was a legitimate hero who saved lives.  He left this life at the age of 41, and though he is not among the combat fallen and never knew me, has stamped my life in a way that I will never forget, nor fail to pass on to those who delay the pursuit of dreams for sake of the fear of failure.  His marker reads:

Nothing Great Comes From Comfort Zones

For this reason, I’ve always been a Pat Tillman fan.  It matters not to me what religion he held, or what beliefs he espoused that depart from the normal “patriotic American” beliefs.  His combat death, an apparent fratricide, is mired in secrecy, and like 9/11, tainted by government lies and misinformation; but the man himself, he was a hero.  He left a lucrative career behind because he believed that if he didn’t step up and set the example, then no one else was going to do it.  He clearly understood that only 10% lead the way, and 90% are along for the ride – a phrase my father drilled into my head.

America has a hope and a future because there exists a great number of Americans who, even though their values, attitudes, passions, and desires are often leveraged for darkness.  One day, those values are going to be used for the ultimate good, especially now that people are becoming alert to the schemes of the wicked who wish to rule mankind.  If not for those who were willing to lay aside their comfort zones, where would we be?

As I have written before:

History has remembered those who took a stand for the things they believed in, especially when they had something to lose.  Here are some notable signers of the Declaration of Independence and their ages in 1776:

John Adams, 40, Massachusetts

Samuel Chase, 35, Maryland

Elbridge Gerry, 32, Massachusetts

Thomas Heyward, 30, South Carolina

William Hooper, 34, North Carolina

Thomas Jefferson, 33, Virginia

Arthur Middleton, 34, South Carolina

William Paca, 35, Maryland

Edward Rutledge, 26, South Carolina

It is my sincere hope that you remember fondly those who have laid their lives down for their nation.  They did it with the best of this country in mind – their families, friends, and dreams – not with the wishes of a dark, global order bent on eradication of human rights.  If you have lost a loved one in a war or conflict, I wish you the greatest peace and thank you for your contribution to that fallen warrior’s heart and disposition.