"Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for
his friends." ~ John 15:13
Jeremy arrived early to pick up
his friend; actually his former Lieutenant of E Company, 1st Cavalry Division
while serving in Vietnam. Lt. Franklin
had been larger than life: 6 feet 5 inches tall, 220 pounds, fearless,
intelligent, college educated, athletic - a warrior who’d earned 2 Silver Stars.
On any other day Franklin sat in the nursing home playing
checkers, moving only when necessary. His
joints ached and his muscles burned; he no longer made too many trips outdoor. But today he dressed sharply; a poppy pinned
to his chest.
While he waited, Jeremy thought about the friends with whom he’d
served and offered a silent tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in combat
and who still battle in life.
As Franklin ambled languidly toward his friend, Jeremy
hurried forward with a wheel chair.
Seeing the look of reproach and hurt in his Lieutenant’s formerly
sparkling eyes, Jeremy pretended he was just parking it. Franklin gave him a stiff nod and continued
his door-bound marathon. He’ll stand to honor
them, the ones who died so brutally in the service of others until his legs
cannot bear his weight.
He always offered to pay for Jeremy’s flight to come visit
but Jeremy never took him up on it. He never
missed a Memorial Day with his friend. LT
had been there for his command back in Vietnam; Jeremy would be there for him
now.
One time during a stand-down, the Lieutenant wanted to visit
the Officers Club - but not without some of his men. He dug into his footlocker and retrieved five
“Lieutenant Franklin” shirt fatigues for them to wear. They were instantly promoted.
By the time they got to the parade route, it was raining so
hard that the crowd had largely vanished.
Franklin, however, stood stoically throughout the event. He didn’t relish the pain but endured it
without complaint.
As the parade wound down, Franklin looked up at Jeremy. “You
know, we’re prisoners of war,” he confided.
“What do you mean, LT?” Jeremy responded.
Franklin whispered, “Emotionally, we’re all prisoners of
war. It’s the price we pay for serving
our country. If I could again, I’d pay double
the price,” he said before stiffening his gaze.
Jeremy realized that under this once-exuberant personality now
lived someone more vulnerable than he could’ve guessed. As a soldier - he understood!
They each knew how fortunate they’d been to serve our great
nation. And he’d personally been privileged
to serve with Lt. Franklin.
On this Memorial Day, be blessed and remember. They’ve all suffered the hell of PTSD in some
form before it even had a name. This is a
day to say "thank you, we’re in your eternal debt."
Hear our prayer Lord, for those who gave
their lives in the service of others, and accept the gift of their sacrifice. And comfort those who grieve the loss of
their loved ones and let Your healing bring hope to our hearts. Amen
