The Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
P.O. Box 128
Statesville, N.C. 28687 (USA)
MEMORIAL DAY LETTER
“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” Hebrews 13:3
25 May 2026
Memorials began in Eden when God established the Sabbath Day of rest. He later reminds us in His Ten Commandments to ‘remember’ the Sabbath Day. God also established other memorials for our benefit throughout Scripture. To remember the past is to be forearmed regarding the future.
Today is a day set aside as a day of special remembrance of those who gave the last full measure of devotion and sacrifice for our liberties - the American service men and women who lost their lives in defense thereof. Many lie in unmarked graves from the Pacific Basin to the Ardennes Forest; and from San Juan Hill to the ravished alleys of Kabul. Those who died in battle did not enjoy the privilege of a peaceful passing - they did not die in the familiar rooms of their homes and families. They died on the battlefields of freedom amidst the terrors and vicissitudes of war.
Until the cessation of the military draft, every American had a role to play in the defense of our liberties. Many young men and women died far from home and unheralded - some as young as the tender age of seventeen. What an enormous debt we owe our fallen brave!
Unlike the inhabitants of many parts of the world, we do not lie awake at night to hear the volley of musketry or the whistle of the incoming artillery shells of destruction. We rest in assurance that our homes and families will not face an uncertain tomorrow, amidst the dirges and depravation of war, thanks to our uniformed service members. We seldom even acknowledge the great price they paid for our liberties. The list of family names that mark the graves of our fallen patriots in Military Cemeteries around the world are those we know well as neighbors and comrades. I, too, lost a younger brother of nineteen years in the Vietnam War. Practically every American family can cite the names of their kin who were killed in battle in the varied wars for freedom of our nation.
Let us at least on this day set aside a time to mark the memories of those beloved souls who have given so much that we may enjoy the breath of freedom across our fruited plains and farmlands - just one day to honor and remember their names and sacrifices.
May the Lord of Heaven, and ever-present God of Battles, record the names of the believing soldier in a favored section of His Book of Life; and may we, too, share in the same courage that these have demonstrated.
May this be another day of peace and liberty for our nation purchased at so great a price; and let us remember the greatest of all sacrifices made by our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer to purchase our treasure liberties on a hill outside the gates of Jerusalem two thousand years past.
Jerry Ogles
