The month of May is a time for remembrance. Days have been established at the state and national levels reminding us of the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served our communities and our country.
Earlier this month we marked the sacrifices of first responders – and more specifically, police officers – with National Police Week and Peace Officers’ Memorial Day. We recognize today as Memorial Day, a day of remembering and honoring the military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation.
As Scripture tells us, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) As we celebrate Memorial Day, please remember what we are recognizing. We are honoring hundreds of thousands of men and women – friends, family members, neighbors – who chose something greater than themselves. These were men and women who risked their safety, and ultimately gave their lives, in defense of our freedom and security.
Today, we all had the benefit of waking up in a nation that was founded on the ideals of liberty and equality, a nation that is among the freest and most prosperous in the history of the world. That did not happen by accident. It happened because brave men and women across America made it happen, because hundreds of thousands of Americans spilled their blood and gave their lives to make it happen.
Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to remember their boldness, their courage and their sacrifice.
We owe these heroes a debt that we can never repay. But as President Reagan reminded us many years ago, we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice. Honor their sacrifice through your actions every day. Appreciate the gifts that we have – the freedoms that we enjoy – but never forget that they were not granted to us by luck or by some accident of history. They were given to us by our fallen brothers and sisters.
Senator Obhof represents the 22nd Ohio Senate District, which encompasses all of Medina, Ashland and Richland counties as well as portions of Holmes county. He currently serves as President of the Ohio Senate. For more information, please visit www.ohiosenate.gov/obhof.
