2007-2008 Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest
“We Honor Them”
Forever engraved upon the glistening marble texture of an enshrined monument read the words, “Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known But to God.” This epitaph is that which is inscribed upon the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in our nation’s capitol. This memorial is the consummate symbol of the ultimate sacrifices made by those in the name of America, the voice of democracy.
To honor means to show respect for, to esteem, and confer distinction upon. To honor is to distinguish, to venerate. In ancient Sparta the highest honor a soldier could receive was death in battle. Death was the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the nation. Former President John F. Kennedy is quoted, “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose…is the path of surrender, or submission.” Through out the history of this nation millions of courageous men and women have served and sacrificed for the preservation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
During the perilous and turbulent times of World War One, the English Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared, “This is no time to speak of the hopes of the future, or the broader world which lies beyond our struggles and our victory. We have to win that world for our children. We have to win it by our sacrifices…the crisis is upon us.” And indeed in defense of our great nation “all have given some, and some gave all.” No person was ever honored for what they received. Honor has been the reward for that which they gave. Therefore, the veterans of the United States of America shall be honored.
As I recall and reminisce upon family members imparting unto me numerous accounts of their service in the military, I discern a common theme that permeates through these stories. It is the common denominator that runs deep to the core of our nation’s creed, the protection and establishment of freedom and liberty among mankind.
A certain perspective states that life is a dualistic creation process, that there is always a first creation and second creation. The first creation is that which is formulated in the mind, that which is thought. The second creation is the product of that thought. Just as an architect visualizes a building, and drafts its blueprints before any ground is ever broken. Therefore, the foremost manner in which I shall honor America’s veterans is by sincere thought, by wholeheartedly pondering and reflecting upon the past and present service of those that defend this brilliant beacon of light that is the United States of America.
In conclusion, the question is posed, what is our role in honoring America’s veterans. Honor to those that have fallen, those who have sacrificed their lives. Honor to those who have strived in the midst of the fire and fury. Honor to those that have risen for the sake of mankind. Honor to those who are no longer amongst us. We honor them, we extol them, we praise them, we give unto them for they gave unto us. We honor those who have peered the reality of death directly in its impending eyes. I honor them by remembrance, for without thought nothing comes to form. I will remember the cause, I will remember the sacrifice, I will remember the people, the soldiers, the veterans. I will never forget.
