In November 2010, Lt. Gen. John Kelly delivered one of his most well-known speeches. In it, he honors two Marines, Cpl. Jonathan Yale and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, who were killed in 2008 by a suicide bomber during the war in Iraq. Kelly details the final moments of their lives — six seconds, to be exact.
As Kelly recalls it, from the moment the suicide bomber’s truck appeared, the Marines had no time to consult anyone on what they should do. Standing face to face with evil, they didn’t look back. Local forces ran for their lives, as anyone would do in the circumstances, but the two Marines raised their weapons in response and began to shoot. They only had three seconds left to live.
In mere moments, it was over. They had defended their station, and in doing so, they had lost their lives.
Kelly went on to talk about what military families endure when they find out that life as they knew it was over. Kelly himself was delivering this speech just days after his own son had been killed in battle.
This year, many more families are receiving this sort of heartbreaking news. The church can offer not only our prayers but also our tangible support. We can show up for them in practical ways whether by providing meal support, offering childcare, or helping with their yardwork.
Memorial Day is also a time when we can collectively remember the loved ones we’ve lost in wars gone by. We can gather together to share memories, laugh together about never-before-seen photos, or remember them through the art of some of their favorite songs.
However, one of the best ways we can honor their memories is in how we live our lives today.
All that Memorial Day represents confronts us with questions about our own willingness to make sacrifices. What would we do in the face of evil if we only had seconds left to live? Would we be able to stand courageously as our brothers and sisters in uniform have done? What might God be calling us to be brave about today?
In Kelly’s remarks about the Marines who lost their lives, he said, “They could have run and likely survived, but did not … For their dedication, they lost their lives. Because they did what they did, only two families had their hearts broken … rather than as many as 50.”
The Marines who died that day sacrificed their lives so that others might live. While we may never be called to give up our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16), we are called to die to ourselves in ways that benefit those around us — bringing people into relationships with Christ and reconciling the brokenness we see in our communities.
Often God puts us in particular places at particular times to do hard things — things that will cost us. What are we as Christians doing to prepare for those moments?
Courage is developed not in the ultimate moment of testing, but in the brief times of bravery that are interwoven throughout our day-to-day lives. It is formed in the sacrifices we make for others at the risk of never accomplishing something earthly for ourselves.
Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” For some of us, that harvest will not come until we are reunited with Christ in eternity. Only then will we get to see the full benefits of the courageous stands we took here on earth.
Peter asks his readers in 2 Peter 3:11-12, “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God ….”
Today, as we wait for eternity, may we work to live the kind of courageous lives that honor both the sacrifices of our military and the ultimate sacrifice of Christ who suffered so that we might live.
Dominique McKay works as a missionary for Cru in Washington, D.C., ministering to public servants and pursuing a doctorate of ministry from Wheaton College focused on evangelism in the public square. She is a member of McLean Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia.