Memorial Day 2025: All Gave Some, Others Gave More, Some Gave All
- Trace Pirtle
- May 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 3
A Reflection on Reverence, Sacrifice, and Faith
As Memorial Day 2025 approaches, reverence is the word that comes to mind. It reminds me of the saying that all veterans know so well: "All gave some, some gave all." But I believe we need to add another classification for those who served: All gave some...others gave more...some gave all.
The Spectrum of Sacrifice: Memorial Day 2025
I say this because I know what I gave during my military service. I know what was taken away from me. But every veteran knows that others gave more. Others gave arms and legs. Others gave their mind and what was known as normal thinking and processing. Traumatic brain injury is a special class of "some giving more." Still others gave more time and sacrifice away from their loved ones. They endured isolation from friends and family who could no longer understand who this person they once knew had become.
The list goes on, but the reverence for brothers and sisters who gave more—not all, but for many—survivor guilt puts them at high risk for suicide. Some have stood heroically in the face of battle, only to lose the war of life when they returned home. They were survivors of the war, but sadly left friends and loved ones to become survivors of suicide following their self-inflicted, fatal wound.
A Legacy Written in Blood and Faith
So yes, I have a special place in my heart for all veterans who gave some, for others who gave more, but those who gave all are in a special class. They are in a class that Jesus represented over 2000 years ago. To be willing to lay down one's life for others is remarkable. Although no veteran, no matter how patriotic, could ever come close to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made, we still owe each of them a debt of gratitude because we live in a country where we have religious freedom.
The hackneyed phrase "freedom isn't free" is a truth that all Americans should ponder as Memorial Day 2025 approaches—and say a prayer for each fallen service member from the founding of our country until this very day. Like Jesus, some unknown soldier—you can find his tomb at Arlington National Cemetery—laid down his life because he believed that your freedom and safety was worth it.
The Complexity of Noble Death
Now, I don't want to glorify death in war. I think of the Roman poet Horace who wrote "it is sweet and becoming to die for one's country." But I also reflect on Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum est," in which the realities of war are not so glorious—that "old lie."
I wonder about a Roman soldier dying on some distant battlefield under the afternoon sun. Would he have agreed with his countryman poet Horace that death for country was "sweet and becoming"? Or would his final thoughts have resonated more with Owen's brutal honesty about the "old lie" of glorious death? And I wonder—had this dying soldier heard whispers of that Jesus, the "King of the Jews," who was killed by his own people unjustly? What would cross his mind as his life ebbed away—loyalty to Caesar, or questions about this other King who willingly laid down His life not for empire, but for love?
But still, somewhere between the doom and gloom of long gone battles there is a truth that transcends: Jesus (and many soldiers) did in fact give up their lives for others.
Uncle Gerald's War: A Personal Testament
My uncle was an infantryman with Patton's Seventh Army in World War II. He and his buddies fought—many died—in Sicily before he saw Benito Mussolini (and others) hanging. And still they fought on for some belief that they were fighting so we wouldn't have to back home.
I have a Bible that my grandmother was given when her son left for war. Other than the smell of paper that is now 83 years old, it is in perfect condition. There's no indication that she ever read it and certainly didn't write in it. I wonder how much she prayed for him?
But my uncle Gerald made it back from the war. He slept with a German Luger pistol that he brought back home as the only "souvenir" that reminded him of his time in hell. Who knows what souvenir lingered in his mind of the interaction that led to his coming to possess this "prize." I'm sure the original owner did not willingly give it to him as a token of peace and good will.
My mother told me a story about Uncle Gerald. They had gone to a funeral of a family member. She said it was a beautiful funeral and my uncle served as one of the pallbearers. When they returned home, my uncle slammed his fist through the living room wall and cried out, "My buddies never got a funeral like that!"
He survived the war, he left it behind as he boarded a troop ship heading back home to America, but the war never left him.
Reverence for the Fallen, Hope for the Living
So I offer my deepest reverence for those soldiers who fought alongside my uncle and died. He saw their death and it doesn't appear that it was "sweet and becoming" anymore than Jesus' death on the cross was. But despite the pain and suffering that was endured, those of us who call ourselves Americans are free because of them. And despite the pain and suffering of One God-Man, those of us who have faith are free indeed because of Him who loved us while we were still sinners.
On this Memorial Day 2025, I want to thank all veterans who gave all for reasons known only to them and God. And thank you Jesus for making the ultimate sacrifice and giving all for humanity.
Salute!
How Faith in Action Ministry Honors Veterans in 2025
At Faith in Action Ministry, we honor our veterans not just on Memorial Day 2025, but every week through our veterans outreach at River Hills Health & Rehab. Every Wednesday from 1:30-3:00 PM, we provide fellowship, encouragement, and Christ-centered support to those who have served.
We also recognize that some veterans and military families face the unique grief of losing loved ones to suicide. Our suicide survivor support ministry offers hope and healing for those walking this difficult path, understanding that survival can sometimes be its own form of battle.
If you're a veteran needing support, or if you've lost a military family member to suicide, please know that you're not alone. We're here to walk alongside you with the same reverence and honor we give to all who have served.
Related Posts:
Finding Hope After Loss: Suicide Survivor Support in the Texas Hill Country
Why Are We Here? Divine Appointments and Purpose
Contact us if you need prayer, support, or want to learn more about our veterans outreach ministry.
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