The Shadow
Duty, Honor, Country. This was the topic of the Memorial Day presentation at First Christian Church on Sunday, May 26th by Shawn Wright, Commander Curtis A Smith VFW Post 1033.
The following are excerpts from that presentation.
Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope beomes forlorn.
Duty honor, country. This Sunday we gather for fellowship in Christ and to remember those who have given the ultimate sarifice for the freedom of others and our Great Nation. Generation after generation, our nation has been fortunate enough to have service members who continue to believe
that freedom is worth fighting for and, if necessary, dying for. There is no freedom without bravery, and those we honor on Memorial Day were brave when it counted most. There is no better way to honor those who gave all than to remember them, honor their service,mourn their loss, and show
gratitude to the families they left behind.
Memorial Day is a time to remember those we have lost while serving in all wars, but my focus today will be the Vietnam War. For those Americans who fought in Vietnam, and for those who fought against it back home, as well as those who merely glimpsed it on the nightly news, the Vietnam War
was a decade of agony. The most divisive period in America since the Civil War.
Sacrifice and Quiet Heroism – to remember those who died.
My dream for Covington to host The Wall That Heals was granted in December 2023 and it will be here October 1-6, 2024 at the Jackson River Complex. It is a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The exhibit consists of The Wall That Heals and the Mobile Education Center. The 3⁄4 replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at it’s tallest point. One of the greatest benefits of having the Wall That Heals in our community is the opportunity to thank and support our Vietnam Veterans.
As part of the program, Wright did a presentation of “The White Table.” This table is a little known tradition to the outside world. It originated during the time of the Vietnam War as a symbol for, and remembrance to service members held prisoner of war or missing in action. Solitary and solemn, it is
the table where no one will ever sit. The POW/MIA table – A Place setting for one. A table for all.
You are not forgotten, so long as there is one left in whom your memory remains.
As we leave here today, let us recommit ourselves to keeping the memory of our fallen alive. Let us ensure our youth understand at an early that their freedom was paid forward at great expense. Let us work to educate others on the true meaning of Memorial Day. Let us vow to stand up for those who
are unable to stand up for themselves.
God bless America and all the men and women who have paid the ultimate so that we may have freedom.
