May. 29, 2023
Good afternoon FUMA, Today is Memorial Day, set apart to remember those Americans who have fought and died for our country. We have engraved on our Veterans Memorial wall the names of those 55 brave FUMA Men who gave their lives in battle from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. […]...
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Veterans Memorial at Fork Union Military Academy

Good afternoon FUMA,

Today is Memorial Day, set apart to remember those Americans who have fought and died for our country. We have engraved on our Veterans Memorial wall the names of those 55 brave FUMA Men who gave their lives in battle from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. This is...the land of the free because it's the home of the brave.

Wall of the FUMA Veterans Memorial

War is a horrible thing. It's well we don't grow too fond of it. All great nations have been got by war--nobody just gives you a country. You must fight to get it and fight to keep it. And ... in war people die. Why do some get killed and others don't? We don't know. How do they keep going when others around them are killed? Well, they do their duty, bravely, and faithfully.

This is the land of the free...because it's the home of the brave.

So, on Memorial Day we remember those who were killed. We will never forget, we never, never, never, never forget them and their sacrifice. Memorial Day events like this...help us remember.

Think with me now... remember...The War of 1812? The scene in the Baltimore Harbor of Ft. McHenry and that grand ole flag...so high and waving in the breeze, then bam, whoosh... a cannon ball from a British ship rip through the huge flag tearing a hole, boom, boom, boom and then ka-boom, bombs bursting in air and rockets' red glare. The British wanted that fort, and they wanted that flag to fall, and it would have fallen, but it was held up. What held it up? It was the survivors, who piled up the dead soldiers to make a supporting base like human sandbags...and when the smoke cleared and all was quiet, the flag ... was still there. And ... it still is.

This is the land of the free...because it's the home of the brave.

President John F. Kennedy said, "A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it remembers, the men it honors."

In June of 1944 a young soldier, George Retan, parachuted into Germany as part of the D-Day invasion. He earned a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and a battlefield promotion to Lieutenant because of his bravery under fire. In September of 1944, he parachuted into Holland in Operation Market Garden and was killed leading his company to capture the Son Bridge from the Nazis. We remember George Retan, a FUMA Man, with our Championship Retan Rifles Ceremonial Drill unit, and with Retan Hall on campus. He fought, he did his duty, and he was killed. So many were killed in war. For all those Americans who were killed in all wars...let us remember them. Never forget them. When you go in Retan Hall, you can remember him even if you didn't know him. He gave all for you, for your freedom.

Grave of Lt. George Owen Retan, Plot A, Row 4, Grave 8 of the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten

Let's pray.

God, thank you for our country. If it comes our turn to defend her...let us do our duty with honor, courage, and commitment. In Jesus' name. Amen.

It is always appropriate for us to share some Good News. Here it is:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whomever believeth in Him will not die, but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

All of us are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, confess your sins, ask to be forgiven, repent, be forgiven, and know you will have everlasting life in heaven with the Lord. If you believe it... receive it. Testify to it. Tell somebody: "I believe. I'm saved." We had many cadets the other day saved and then were baptized. In war, we have chaplains giving sermons on the ship the day before the landings, on the battlefield in foxholes, in a field hospital... in the final seconds of life. Consider it...for all of us...time is fleeting. We are all going to die. Then what?

The Bible says, believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved from your sins, you will be transformed in this life and go to heaven. It's not too late to accept this, believe, and be saved. If you haven't, you can do it right now. Say this: "God I'm sorry for my sins, help me turn around my life, save my soul, in Jesus' name! I want your amazing grace. Amen."

In closing, never forget those who were killed fighting for our rights to sit here in safety and hear the Gospel message.

This is the land of the free...because it's the home of the brave.

And it is in God we Trust. Think about all this as you hear Taps and the 21-gun salute for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. May God bless you and God bless America.

In Christ,
Colonel David L. Coggins, USMC (Ret.)
President
Fork Union Military Academy

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