By Rusty Lee Thomas

Every May, America observes Memorial Day. It is altogether proper and fitting that Americans take the time to honor military veterans and their sacrifices made on the behalf of our cherished freedoms. Throughout our history and to this very day courageous men and women give their last ounce of devotion and their very lives for the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Recently, a poignant poem was circulated that certainly captures the basis for honoring our military veterans. The author is unknown. The poem is simply called “It Is The Soldier.”

It Is The Soldier not the reporter, who has given US Freedom of the press.

It Is The Soldier not the poet, who has given US Freedom of speech.

It Is The Soldier not the campus organizer, who has given US the Freedom to demonstrate.

It Is The Soldier not the lawyer, who has given US the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier, who saluted the Flag, who serves beneath the Flag and whose coffin is draped by the Flag, who allows the protester to burn the Flag.

“And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” (Joshua 4:5-7)

The Word of God teaches us in Psalm 88:12 that righteousness cannot long endure in the land of forgetfulness. This being the case, God throughout Holy Writ instructed His people to build memorials in order to recall their historical legacy. We see this truth conveyed in the Book of Joshua. When the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan to possess the Promised Land, God instructed Joshua to pick twelve men, who would gather twelve stones to build an altar to the Lord. The purpose was to put future generations in remembrance and to have a point of contact to powerfully witness to their children if they would become curious and ask, “What mean ye by these stones?” It was memorials like this that provided testimony that upheld the veracity of God’s promises, recounted His miraculous deeds of deliverance, and put God’s people in remembrance of His undying faithfulness to those who put their faith and trust in Him.

Each and every one of us desperately need to have an Ebenezer Stone of remembrance in our lives, a place to recall God’s help. It is important to acknowledge the times when God answered our prayers or performed mighty acts of deliverance on our behalf. It provides a reference point that will keep us on track through the trying times and difficult ordeals in life. It encourages us with the revelation that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It proves that if God was faithful to deliver yesterday, we can trust Him today, and can be assured that our tomorrows are in His capable care.

Brother and sisters, without memorials, without recounting our history, without acknowledging God, we have no accurate concept of where we came from. Thus we surely won’t have the proper vision to know where we are going or what to do once we get there. Sadly, much our American history has been robbed. Our godly heritage is being deleted, rewritten, or revised right before our very eyes. Consequently, there is no rudder to steer this great ship called America through the dangerous seas of life in this perverted and crooked age.

Whether we admit it or not, America is adrift. We are being tossed to and fro and our historical root system that has faithfully provided the nutrients of freedom and liberty are being severed under our watch. A Russian philosopher once said, “the surest way to destroy a people is to severe their roots.” Abortion and the homosexual agenda that are drowning America in a sea of blood and perversion confirm this harsh reality. Literally, the righteous foundations that our Founding Fathers fought and died to secure are literally crumbling beneath our feet. In the midst of this the Psalmist asks, “What can the righteous do, if the foundations be destroyed?

Well, for one thing, we can start by holding a Memorial Service right here at the gates of hell. It is most fitting and proper to be here today to honor those who have fallen in battle in order to pass on to us a legacy of freedom and liberty. It is legacy that I’m afraid we have either forgotten, squandered, or with the advent of the American Holocaust, we have betrayed.

Abortion in every conceivable way brings violations. It violates the child in the womb who is made in the image of God. It violates God, His Person, and His Holy Law. It violates nurturing in Motherhood and responsibility in Fatherhood. It is a destroyer of families. It violates civil government and betrays their sacred trust. It violates the credibility of the Church. It violates our national covenant that declares the Right To Life is God-given and must be protected by civil authorities. And for our purposes today, we will see how abortion spurns the memory of those slain in battle; how it betrays their sacrifices; and violates the sacred principles for which they fought and died for.

George Washington viewing his rag-tag group of weary soldiers who were starved, exposed to the harshness of the elements, outgunned, and out-manned inspired them with these words, “The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore to resolve to conquer or die.”

Our Founding Father pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor and were willing to die and have their blood spilled in order to pass on to the preborn a legacy of freedom. Tragically, we have taken that same freedom that came with the price of blood and now abuse it to shed innocent blood. This betrayal is still allowed to flourish even as I speak! What a travesty! God have mercy on us!

Dr. Leo Alexander who studied the Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials came up with a profound and concise definition of Nazism. He stated, “Nazism and Fascism occurs when a government or a culture utilizes death to solve its economic and moral problems.” Tragically, what the World War Two generation fought against and died to end in Germany is now alive and well in America. The Jews in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust came up with a motto that declares “Never Again.” Well “Never Again” is most certainly happening again to our collective disgrace and shame.

Can anyone of us even remotely imagine our brave American soldiers in World War Two fighting and dying so “Never Again” can happen again in our beloved land? Can we truly believe that the so-called right for parents to kill their preborn children and for homosexuals to parade in our streets committing unspeakable acts is what inspired and sustained those who were storming the beaches of Normandy or dropping from planes on D-Day? I think not! The idea is absolutely repugnant and ludicrous and yet it is now become main stream in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We haughtily proclaim abortion is a constitutional right and homosexuality is a civil right. But what does our Constitution actually say? It states, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Notice the Constitution is not just for our selves, but for our posterity. Abortion is the height of selfishness and if we are not willing to grant life and freedom to others, are we worthy of it ourselves?

In closing, I’m a military veteran. I served our nation during the Vietnam Conflict. I was a 60-machine gunner with the 101st Airborne Division. Because of my young age and due to the fact our nation was no longer sending fresh troops to Vietnam in 1973; I was spared the horrors of that war. I was prepared though to kill or be killed on the behalf of our nation. I was in service at a time when our nation turned its heart against our military. To be honest, I rarely wore my uniform out in public because of the disdain that was shown to our returning Vietnam veterans. Soldiers were spit on and called “baby killers” by a self-indulgent, misguided generation that blamed the soldier for the foolish policies of our government. At the same time our nation was calling its returning soldiers “baby killers,” we actually were becoming a nation of baby killers. The irony is staggering.

How many veterans out there? Let’s honor and pray for them right now. Gentlemen, when you enlisted in the military, you raised your right hand and swore to defend the Constitution from both foreign and domestic enemies. Brethren, this place is without question the most formidable domestic enemy that has ever savaged America. Even the Civil War with all its carnage cannot compare to what is happening here today under our watch.

The French Philosopher, Alexis De Tocqueville, once stated that “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” America was great because America’s foundation was Christianity. The reason why we were so successful militarily is because we used our strength to help aid and defend the weak nations of the world against strong, tyrannical oppressors. Now, because we have abandoned God, excluded Him from the public life of our nation, trashed His Holy Laws by which men are to live by, we now use our strength to exploit and destroy the most vulnerable amongst us, the preborn child. These things ought not to be, brethren!

Military men and veterans of the USA, our nation and our preborn children require your services once again. How many will join with me today to commit ourselves afresh and anew to the vision of speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves; defend the poor and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked; and rescue those unjustly sentenced to death? Please come forward and let us pray. May God hasten the day when not only abortion will be made illegal, but it will be unthinkable, just like the scourge of slavery previously.

May we join together today and add our faith and amen to the words of Abraham Lincoln who stated at the Gettysburg Address, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” In Jesus’ Holy Name! Amen and amen!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas