Memorial Day 2025
Several years ago the Khe Sanh Veterans Association published the names of those killed in the battles that raged on and around that small combat base in the northwestern corner of Vietnam. More than a thousand names are on the list that spans the time period from 1967 to 1972. This special publication was available to anyone, but was specifically intended for those who saw duty at that remote outpost of the war. The publication was introduced with these words:
“This list may assist you to piece together just what happened in the chaos of battle.
This list may prompt you to face your pain and, knowing the truth, be freed.
This list may help you find a name of a close friend, perhaps even someone who saved your life, a name that you perhaps have since forgotten.”
It was a sobering experience for me to read the names of those who did not come home from Khe Sanh. I knew many of these men and can attest to the fact that these are not just names; these were real men with real hopes for the future. I highlight this group today because I was among those who fought in this now obscure place. In the bigger picture, they are one group among the many thousands that have paid the ultimate price in service to their nation during all of our wars. Memorial Day is the day to remember all our heroes and the price they paid for us.
I pray that those we remember today have a special place in heaven with the one who sacrificed everything for them. The prophet Isaiah long ago foretold of the Savior that would eventually come to serve and save the world through his own suffering and death:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not . . . he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds are we healed. ~Isaiah 53:3–5
(A more complete account of this and other amazing stories can be found in my book, Stories of Faith and Courage from the Vietnam War)