"I thank God for my life, / for the stars and stripes. / May freedom forever fly; / let it ring. / Salute the ones who died, / those ones that gave their lives / so we don't have to sacrifice / all the things we love;"
~ "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band
After years of going to the memorial service of my grandfather's Veterans of Foreign Wars post (VFW), a phrase has stuck with me: "we honour the victorious dead." I find myself thinking of this statement at various points throughout the year. The "victorious dead," an odd phrase referring to those who died in during their time of service. This is especially pertinent for this VFW post that honours a WWII Japanese American captain who jumped on a grenade to save the rest if his regiment. Kazuo Masuda never lived to see the victory he helped to win but he is honoured still for his sacrifice. And so are all who have fallen in the line of duty. Today*, we pay you do honour and respect. We who enjoy the benefits of your sacrifice declare you victorious, even in death, and thank you for the tomorrows we enjoy at the cost of yours.
For those who serve now and those who served and lived, we honour you as well for putting yourselves on the alter of freedom on our behalf. In defense of loved ones and strangers, you have risked all. For that, we are forever in your debt.
Finally, I'd like to personally thank Jichan, Uncle Chris, Jeremy, Mr. Cristetto, Scott, and Luke for fighting, in the past and the present, in my defense and all that I hold dear. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude or repay my debt. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart and promise to never forget what you have done for me.
*I meant to publish this on Memorial Day but didn't get around to posting it til a day later.
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