CMA Corner July ’24
Heroes…
There are so many of them, both named and unnamed. Some get the accolades, parades and recognition, some are in the background or never seen.
What makes a hero? The definition of a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. That description could be for many people, but mostly the ones talked about are public figures and maybe once in a while you might catch a news story about someone who saved a person or an animal or something that was an outstanding feat of unselfishness. Those are great stories, and I am sure each one of us has known someone who they feel was a hero to them, however today I am going to talk about the heroes we don’t know and probably one we do know or would like to.
In June we gave honor to the 80th anniversary of D-Day when thousands of troops landed at Normandy Beach, France to overtake the enemy forces that had attempted to overtake France. It was brutal and most of the boys, and I do mean boys, just barely 18 years old, fresh out of high school then boot camp and met with a challenge not knowing if they would live or die. Did they go just because it was an order, or did they go out of a sense of duty to their country and the country they were sent to save?
You see a true hero doesn’t take thought of themselves or the accolades they may get for doing a great thing. No, their thoughts are on the task at hand. Their mind is set, and their resolve is to go and do regardless of the outcome. True heroes take no thought of reward.
As I looked at the films from the D-Day landing, and then looked at the grave markers at Normandy, I couldn’t help but think of those men and women who chose to fight to maintain the freedoms of others they didn’t even know. Some of them didn’t even make it to the beach, they died right in the water. Yet, even though those around them saw their comrades’ in arms fall, they kept on pushing forward to gain the ground and defeat the enemy. Many lives were lost that day, some were not and the Veterans that are alive yet today were taken over to France this year to be honored for their part in the heroic efforts to secure freedom. I cannot imagine the thoughts they had, the memories they perhaps shoved deep in the back of their minds that came flooding back as they walked the beach and visited the Memorial of their brothers and sisters that were lost that day. My brother had the privilege of meeting one of those Vets just as he was leaving to go over. The man was 99 years old and when I look at his face, I see strength, resolve, commitment and a sense of peace that he has truly lived a good life in the freedoms he so willingly fought for to preserve.
Our God was with them that day…how do I know that? Because they all invited Him to go with them. Prayers were said, scriptures were read and trust that He would help them accomplish the task at hand was instilled in all of them. They won. Just like Jesus won when He unselfishly gave His life for all of us, so we could be free from the hands of the enemy. Loss of life doesn’t mean defeat; it means the final victory is ours! As the living do say, and those who have passed could tell, ‘Sometimes to get to heaven, you have to go through hell, but once you’ve arrived you know you’ve done well.’
Even Jesus went down before He went up, with the keys in His hands saying, ‘It is enough!’
Celebrate Freedom and Honor the Heroes!
Mary G.
