Memorial Day Message from GCVHCS Associate Medical Center Director

Honoring those who have died in service to our nation is always difficult - words will never approach the enormous heights of their sacrifices.

The nation’s loss of your husband, wife, son, daughter, grandparent, aunt or uncle, anyone dear to you whom we honor on Memorial Day. This is a far deeper loss to you - and we are grateful for your sacrifice.

So, I’ll refer to President Lincoln whose timeless words bear repeating. On Nov. 19, 1863, at Gettysburg, he reminded, “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did...”

Such is the case today, and always.

Memorial Day is a time to solemnly remember, to ensure none of us ever forget, our fallen who for nearly 250 years have devoted themselves to the cause of liberty. We also honor those who went missing in action and remain unaccounted for.

Those citizen soldiers who loved freedom beyond measure have tilled democracy’s soil with their bodies, consecrated it with their blood and have been our ramparts against the forces of fear and tyranny.

Yet, Memorial Day has an uncertain origin. We know it’s been baptized with the tears of families — grandmothers, mothers, daughters and wives, mostly — bending over the graves of Civil War dead, both North and South, to lay flowers and offer prayers. Those simple but symbolic acts memorializing their battle dead quickly spread across the land. 

From Vicksburg to Gettysburg, from meadows to mountaintops, these mournful visits by the grieving were common sights at cemeteries across the country.

And the first national celebration, on May 30, 1868, was known as “Decoration Day.” On that day, just beyond the banks of the Potomac River at the then-recently established Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, more than 5,000 people listened to speeches, recited prayers and sang hymns.

They walked through the cemetery, placing flowers on more than 20,000 graves of Civil War soldiers.

Whatever its roots, Memorial Day is a sacred day for America. This day is dedicated to all those who have served this country and passed from us.

And it’s dedicated to all those who gave their lives securing our freedom, and then defended our freedom in the centuries since - all for the sake of the simple truth that “...all men are created equal...” and for those unalienable rights we cherish still today — “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...” rights that brave young men and women still volunteer to defend today.

So, we pause today with great pride and deep gratitude for their courage and for their immense sacrifices on the altar of freedom.

Thanks to them, our American way of life sparks the hopes and dreams of others in every corner of the globe. What our country represents has drawn millions to our shores - people from around the world who immigrated here, became Americans, built and strengthened this nation and made their own sacrifices in succeeding generations.

And whenever our nation has faced the imminent storm clouds of war, these patriots from all backgrounds, lineages, ethnicities and faiths have stepped forward to say, “I will serve. I will go. I will fight — for what is right.”

We honor them always.

At the Department of Veterans Affairs, we honor the fallen and the missing in action by striving to serve the living Veterans as well as they have served us — working to fulfill each day Lincoln’s charge to care for those who have “borne the battle,” and their families, caregivers and survivors.

That’s what VA is about.

Because when someone signs up to serve our country in the military, this nation makes them a simple, but sacred, promise: You take care of us, we’ll take care of you. You fight for us, we’ll fight for you. You serve us, we’ll serve you when you come home.

And at the GCVHCS, keeping that promise means delivering timely access to the world-class health care and benefits our 82,000 Veterans have earned and so rightly deserve.

And always standing in the long shadows cast by our departed heroes, let us constantly rededicate ourselves to advancing their unfinished work by never losing sight of — and never forsaking — the noble cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion. We are here only because of what they gave on our behalf.

To everyone here who is remembering a loved one, I wish you comfort, strength and peace of mind. 

Bless our departed heroes, bless the men and women who continue to serve their country in uniform, and bless the United States of America.

     Rebecca Strini
          Associate Medical Center Director
          Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System