Memorial Day Revisited

As I looked back on previous posts, I realized that one of the highlights of my trip to Texas was unmentioned in them. I had the humbling privilege of speaking to a wonderful group of senior citizens at Buckner's Westminster, an independent living/assisted living facility in my hometown, at their Memorial Day service. As a military spouse and the granchild and great-grandchild of veterans, this is a very special day to me. I find it difficult to see the way most people "celebrate" Memorial Day, and this year I was able to spend it with people who really understand its purpose and meaning in a personal way. As these people made their way outside to sit or stand by the flagpole in the 85-degree heat and smothering humidity of an East Texas morning, I noticed that almost every one of them was wearing red, white and blue. They wore pins, t-shirts and hats honoring those who have fought for our freedom. Far too many of them also had framed photographs in hand, black and white photographs of handsome young men in uniform - the last picture of someone they loved.

One woman showed me her son, who died in Vietnam. His older sister was one of my own father's childhood friends.

Another woman took me aside to tell me that she, like I, was the wife of an Air Force pilot. He was a colonel who fought and died in World War II; she was a widow at the age of 38, just one year younger than I am.

One World War II veteran showed me a photo of his younger brother. They were in different units and were not stationed together. One day, another soldier saw his brother's picture which he carried with him and said, "I know that guy. He's here." The soldier took him to his brother, and they shared a brief but sweet reunion in Europe. It was the last time he saw his brother.

Below is the text of the speech I gave. I altered it a little as I spoke, but the message is the same. It isn't anything extraordinary, but I hope that as you read, you will hear what my heart wanted to say. I know Memorial Day has passed us by for another year, but there is never a day when we should forget the sacrifice that so many have made for us.



I am so honored to be here to share a few thoughts about freedom on Memorial Day. My name is Lori Heinrich, and I grew up here in Longview. I am the proud wife of an Air Force pilot who flies C-5 cargo planes all over the world. And I am the mother of two sons, ages 16 and 2, who I hope will grow up with a strong sense of patriotism and appreciation for this country and what it stands for.

My great grandfather, John Lester Baldwin, served as an Army cook in France during WWI.

My maternal grandfather, Paul Blackwell, was a fleet mechanic in the Coast Guard, and he and my grandmother lived in New Orleans during the war.

My paternal grandfather, Raymond Risinger, was a B-25 pilot in the Army Air Corps and served in Europe. He lived here at Westminster in 2005-2006; some of you may have known him. I remember him telling incredible stories about his experiences. He often told about the time he and several other men were flying planes from the United States to Europe. They had to make a stop in the Ascension Islands for the night. Their planes were to be maintained and fueled while they slept, and their parachutes were to be repacked. The next day, as they flew the next leg of their mission, his plane began to smoke and sputter. He was able to barely limp to their next stop in Liberia with 30 minutes worth of fuel remaining, and when they arrived, it was discovered that his fuel tank had been sabotaged and his parachute shredded by the enemy.

On another occasion, he and another pilot had one more mission to fly before they could come home. When the opportunity came to fly, they drew straws because they both were eager to return to their families. By the grace of God, my papaw lost and had to wait on another mission. The pilot who won did not return from the mission.

For as long as I can remember, Memorial Day has held special interest for me because of its purpose: to remember those who gave their lives for our country and for our freedom. It is an emotional day for me, as we reflect on the incredible sacrifice that so many people have made to make it possible for us to live in a country where we are able to follow our dreams, to determine our destinies and to worship without fear. More than 1.3 million Americans have given their lives for this blessing of freedom. I know that some of you have lost a spouse, a child, a brother or a friend. My father tells me that Mrs. Langford wears a pin every day in memory of her son who gave his life in Vietnam. I am here to tell you that their sacrifice, and yours, are not forgotten.

I was asked to speak to you about the price of freedom. Many of you who are here today have made sacrifices for our country through your service. It is a humbling experience to share with you, as your generation knows more about the price of freedom than I do. Far too often, the people of my generation take freedom for granted. Memorial Day is called a “holiday,” but I’m not sure that this is the appropriate designation. Too many people see it as a day to have a big picnic and a great party, a vacation day. While we certainly have reason to celebrate our freedom, this day is set aside to honor those who made it possible. Because many of my generation have never had to suffer for the cause of freedom, we seem to believe it always has been and always will be. But that could not be further from the truth. Thomas Jefferson once said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” We must never take our freedom for granted, nor should we forget or ignore the great sacrifice it requires. It seems that so many in our country seek peace at any cost. Peace is a wonderful and worthy goal, but when we compromise our principles for peace, it cannot survive.

I would like to share with you my appreciation with all of you who have served our country. Those who have served in the military are a blessing to all of us. You have laid your lives on the line for our country, and there are no words to adequately thank you. But I also include in my gratitude those whose sacrifice was the loss of someone they loved and those who supported from home their service member. I know firsthand the sacrifices that are required of today’s military families. We spouses deal with lengthy deployments and have to learn to manage all aspects of our homes as well as playing both Mommy and Daddy to our little ones. It is hard sometimes, but I often think about those who were left behind during previous wars. Letters took much longer than email and were censored in such a way that there was nothing left but the salutation and closing. Phone calls were unheard of, and families waited weeks for word from their loved ones. I find myself worried if I don’t hear from my husband for a few days when he is on a mission. I cannot imagine the worry of waiting weeks or months for any word of a loved one away at war.

The protection of our freedom requires a great sense of honor, bravery, purpose and personal responsibility. I would like to share some quotes that I found regarding freedom and its preservation.

- Dwight Eisenhower said, “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid.” This is true; freedom cannot exist unless people are willing to stand up for it and lay it all on the line.
- Gen. Douglas MacArthur once said, “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” We all have a responsibility to protect our freedom as a nation. We cannot leave it to others. We cannot afford to be silent or still. As Americans, it is our obligation to do what is necessary to protect our country.
- Daniel Webster said, “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.”
- Webster also said, “A country cannot subsist well without liberty, nor liberty without virtue.” Virtue (moral excellence, goodness, righteousness), then, is a key to freedom. We must always be seeking the way that is right rather than the way that is easy.


From the beginning of our country, our forefathers recognized the incredible sacrifice that freedom would require. The Declaration of Independence was signed with the following pledge “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Each man who placed his signature on that historic document also placed his own life on the line.

From Ft. Sumter and Gettysburg of the Civil War to the Western Front of World War I, from Pearl Harbor and Normandy in World War II to the Korean War, from Vietnam to Desert Storm, from Operation Enduring Freedom to Operation Iraqi Freedom, our men and women in uniform have understood that freedom was worth fighting for and that the cost would be high, but they have been willing to pay it. I am so thankful for each one of them.

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry gave a speech titled Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death. In that speech, he spoke the following famous words: "Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."

Patrick Henry's speech was given over 233 years ago, but the message is still true today. God Himself knows the painful price of freedom. He gave His only Son to provide the ultimate freedom when Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17, we read, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

I pray that we, as a nation, never forget that true freedom comes from God and that we will always be faithful to honor those who have gone before us by continuing to protect the precious gift of freedom for which they gave their lives.

Thank you so much for having me here today, and thank you for your commitment to our freedom. I would like to leave you today with this poem by Kelly Strong:

Freedom Is Not Free

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.