Never Forget the Ultimate Sacrifices

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, largely recognized as the beginning of summer in earnest. The purpose of the federal holiday itself is to remember and honor the sacrifices of Americans who lost their lives fighting on behalf of us. By definition, a "memorial" is something that "preserves remembrance." Support Our Troops bumper stickers, charities to help wounded warriors and military families, and Memorial Day observances all serve as a sort of preserving of remembrance of those sacrifices. At the present moment though, an extremely small percentage of the public is currently undertaking the sacrifice of war. The mass media barely, if ever, focuses much attention on the 12-year conflict in Afghanistan, where over 2,000 American troops have been killed. In last year's presidential campaign, the war was rarely referenced in the foreign policy debate and the Republican nominee notably failed to mention it in his convention address. Consequently, the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history, has been widely referred to as America's "forgotten war." For many, the conflict is out of sight, out of mind. For decades, the same was said of another conflict. The Korean War has also widely been dubbed our "forgotten war" despite the sobering reality that over 36,000 Americans died in the conflict. If we really have forgotten about the losses in Korea, an area of the world as relevant as ever now, and in Afghanistan, a country whose future is pivotal to our interests in the Middle East, shame on us.

Memorial Day ought to serve as an important reminder that we should never forget. The sacrifices made in our name in these wars deserve more than merely remembrances so the least we could do as citizens is to commemorate them. The acts of valor on our behalf in these foreign theaters represent the best of the human spirit. The altruistic heroism that our troops displayed in these conflicts is worthy of a great nation. Few individuals exhibited such exceptionality as valiantly as Emil Kapaun and Robert Miller, veterans of our so-called 'forgotten wars.' Kapaun and Miller served in Korea and Afghanistan, respectively. The courage of character demonstrated by both of these individuals is remarkable. In Korea, Kapaun heroically helped save the lives of fellow soldiers wounded in an onslaught of attacks from 20,000 Chinese soldiers and though he survived the initial attacks, he ultimately died in his confinement as a POW. In Afghanistan, Miller put himself literally at the forefront of a fight against insurgents along the country's dangerous border with Pakistan and consequently saved his commander's life while sacrificing his own as he fired at enemy forces. These men paid the ultimate sacrifice for the country they loved so dearly. In the end, their bravery did not go unnoticed. President Obama posthumously awarded both Miller and Kapaun the prestigious Medal of Honor, in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

When we celebrate an important holiday this weekend, we'll inevitably be enjoying the time spent with family, the burgers on the grill, and the (hopefully) sunny summer weather. However, we should also at least pause to remember Americans like Miller and Kapaun. Though they are the veterans of conflicts unfortunately dubbed "forgotten wars," their sacrifices, and those of millions of other Americans killed in combat, should never be forgotten. For the sake of our liberty and prosperity, they chose to promote good, to fight for their country against forces that wished to do it harm, and to give their lives for a cause greater than themselves. At the very least, we owe them our remembrance on Memorial Day. At best, we owe them an undying commitment to continually perfect the nation they loved so much they gave their lives for it.


Here are the links to the White House ceremonies where President Obama awarded Emil Kapaun and Robert Miller the Medal of Honor; in these videos, the President describes Kapaun and Miller's stories in detail: