The Last Man Standing on Veterans Day

The last few years have seen a blending of Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Remembrance, Reverence, and Respect (what I call the 3 Rs of patriotic commemoration) are now given to those who paid the ultimate price and to those who have served on both holidays. This year’s Veterans Day has served as a telling reminder for me of that blending.

And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin (2 Macc 12:45-46).

The Last Man Standing

The last two members of my Army outfit, who were also two of my closest buddies, died this year. We all went back to the 1960s when we were young paratroopers who thought we were invincible, were full of testosterone, and could lick our weight in alligators. Some died in the service, some in accidents and for the later ones, from aging and disease.

I am the last man standing from my unit. The last chance I had to see any of those buddies was in the 1990s and several years ago we were to have an outfit reunion but it was canceled. Thinking of them and our common bond is intensified by the Covid 19 quarantines where there is plenty of time to reminisce, to think about them, and many memories flood my mind. We had a shared bond at many levels. There are daily visible reminders of that connection from all of us having had unit tattoos on our calves to having knee, back, hip, ankle surgeries and scars over the years from service injuries/wounds.

We volunteered to be paratroopers in the elite 82^nd Airborne Division. There is a special camaraderie among us that is summed up by our motto – “Airborne – All the Way”. Every time a current or former paratrooper greets or communicates to one another, one will always say “Airborne” and the response is “All the Way”. It has a significant meaning. “All the Way” reflects an attitude that means you will not shirk your duty, you will do whatever has to be done to accomplish the mission, you will go the “extra mile” and you will never give up. The often-used cliché 110% is expected as the norm. It’s more than a verbal statement. In thinking of my buddies, they made a statement and a legacy in how they served our country. They went “All the Way”.

A Faith Component on Veterans Day

The reflection process allows me to never forget my buddies because as long as they are remembered, their legacy lives on. It also brings up thoughts of my own mortality and my faith journey. I hope and pray that I will be able to go “All the Way”. It isn’t just about going the distance to be reconnected to God in heaven but more so about being faithful and what I am doing here and now to serve God and neighbor.

So, I offer up this prayer from an 82^nd Airborne chaplain for the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, patron saint of paratroopers. May all my buddies land in heaven on their last jump.

Heavenly Father, hear my call, for through the sky I will fall. Give me courage in the midst of my fear, to enjoy your world’s beauty from way up here. From jumpers and obstacles float me clearly, and safely to the drop zone help me steer. Feet and knees together, preparing myself to land, never more aware that I’m secure within your hand. Guide me and help as I quickly get to my feet, to conquer every obstacle till the mission is complete. In our Lord’s name, I shall forever pray, because I’m Airborne and Prayborne all the way. Amen