3 Lessons from the War in Ukraine

War is always ugly. The war in Ukraine has entered its third month, with no sign of ending. As Americans prepare to celebrate Memorial Day on May 30, we would do well to consider the Ukrainians’ struggle, for it is not unlike our own.

Memorial Day is an American day of remembrance to honor and celebrate the lives of those who paid the ultimate price while fighting for the freedoms we enjoy. With the rising death toll of Ukrainian soldiers before us and the memory of the one million-plus Americans who have died in previous wars behind us, this day should cause us to reflect on the meaning of freedom.

Freedom’s Lessons

For all of war’s bloodshed, its cost in national resources and manpower, its robbery of youthful innocence, its senseless killings and costly destruction of property, the dirt is not without its diamonds.

The war in Ukraine has taught me three things about Memorial Day and freedom in America:

True Freedom Always Comes at Great Cost

1. The rights we cherish are hard-won gifts purchased with the currency of others’ blood. Before we assert them too strongly, let us consider they were not ours to begin with. “What do you have that you did not receive?” St. Paul writes. “If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7) We are not truly owners, but stewards of freedom inherited from others. May our attitude toward the freedoms we enjoy cause those who sacrificed to win it, if they could see us, to know their death was not in vain.

When Freedom Is Attacked, We Learn Which Rights Matter Most

2. — And we will fight to protect them. Like American soldiers have done throughout our history, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting today to preserve the freedom of their beloved country. They are fighting for the right to life. They are not fighting for a $15 minimum wage. They are not fighting to counter climate change. They are not fighting over the proper use of pronouns. They are not fighting over COVID mandates. They are not fighting for free speech zones on college campuses. With bullets and missiles flying and people dying, these issues, once kept afloat by the flames of media attention and public sentiment, no longer seem as important.
   
   In wartime when freedom is at stake, the oil and water of essential and nonessential priorities cannot mix. The issues that truly matter rise to the surface and are given full attention. It is a pity how quickly we forget these priorities in times of peace.

True Heroism Is Found on the Battlefield

3. True heroism isn’t found on a studio set, stage or in a sports arena, but on the battlefield. The Academy Awards recognize the best actors and actresses in the world; professional sports bestow honors upon the best athletes. These prizes may celebrate the traits of courage, leadership, hard work, perseverance and winning results, but they fall short in defining true heroism.
   
   Memorial Day reminds us that real heroes can’t always step on a platform to receive a reward and applause from adoring crowds. Many of them, after giving their all on the battlefield, stepped into eternity. Their sacrifices often went unnoticed, but the blood-stained plot of earth where their lifeless bodies fell will not allow them to be forgotten. When we sing the songs of freedom, the crosses which mark their hallowed graves are a reminder of their unwavering devotion and selfless courage. When they breathed their last, they knew the great cause for which they took up arms would outlive them. For them, life wasn’t about the glory of personal achievement, but the honor of passing on a legacy of freedom to the next generation. That is true heroism.

As we remember America’s fallen soldiers in wars past and present, may we consider the great price of freedom, the great priorities of freedom and the great heroes who died so we could enjoy it. And let’s celebrate our freedom. Someone in another part of the world — in a country like Ukraine — wishes they had it.

General John A. Logan offered fitting words of dedication in his General Order 11, which established Memorial Day in 1868, when he said this:

“Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

“If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.”

General John A. Logan, 1868

Article by Cam Edwards