Liberty comes at a tremendous price

link Judy Brandon

Columnist

By: Judy Brandon

Thomas Campbell, a Scottish poet in the 1800s, wrote: “The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.” Let us meditate on that saying as we observe this Memorial Day.

I remember my grandparents putting much emphasis on Memorial Day as one of the most revered weekends of the year. If we were visiting my grandparents in Arkansas on that weekend, we were part of that celebration. But back then they referred to this Memorial Day as “Decoration Day.”

That weekend was a busy time but yet a festive time with solemn and respectful moments of remembering. On Saturday, families would meet and tidy up the church cemetery. Then on Monday, a special service was held to honor those who had served in the military.

Some buried there were World War I veterans. Several were buried in that little church cemetery who were killed in World War II. If those men were alive today, they would be great grandfathers … but then, they were just teen brothers, new husbands and young sons.

The service out under the oak trees was solemn and moving, filled with the reading of the soldier’s names, scriptures of hope and recognition of the families that were left behind.

On this Memorial Day weekend, I go over in my mind my husband Charlie’s grandfather’s account that he gave us some years back. He declared that he marched across France as a 21-year-old in World War I.

I honor my daddy, who served in the Army in World War II. I remember my Uncle Keith’s stories he told us as a young infantryman stationed in Italy in World War II. I salute my brother-in law’s cousin who lost two legs and one arm in Vietnam because of a land mine.

I acknowledge the sacrifice of my brother-in-law who had the job of equipping the medical evacuation planes that took the wounded out of the jungles of Vietnam.

And what about the veterans of the Iraq war and those who lost their lives while there?

Yes … the cost of preserving liberty for this country was and still is tremendously high.

Thomas Campbell said it well: The tree of freedom that we enjoy today is because of all those patriots who have sacrificed through the years.

Patriotism is vital because it helps us remember who we are as a nation and where that nation has come from. It is imperative that the generations that come after us understand the traditions, memories and emotions that constitute our patriotism. I fear that we all too often take for granted our heritage and its great price. The danger lies when we become too uncomfortable to talk about the contributions of those who have given their lives for America. The danger lies when we think we are too sophisticated to tear up when the “Star Spangled Banner” is played or “America the Beautiful” is sung.

Jonathan, one of the noblest men in the Bible, died in battle on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. He was fighting beside his king and father against the invading Philistines, the enemies of Israel and God. When Jonathan died, David gave expression to his deep sorrow and his affection in the elegy that is preserved in 2nd Samuel. It is the greatest testimonial ever erected to the memory of a fallen soldier and friend. “How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle!” (2 Samuel 1: 25-26)

Let us all cherish America’s past for it was with martyrs’ blood that our country was bought. Each activity and endeavor that we enjoy today in our lives is a direct result of the sacrifice of the millions, the mighty who fell in battle, those who gave their lives for our freedom.

What an extraordinary price to pay; this Memorial Day weekend, we should all have tremendous gratitude for their sacrifice.

Judy Brandon writes about faith for the Clovis News Journal. Contact her at:

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