"The first memorial in America dedicated to ALL wars, ALL branches of service and containing the names of ALL those who died from a single state in those wars, is pictured above.

The Colorado Freedom Memorial is located in Aurora, Colorado near Buckley Air Force Base. Constructed of glass panels that reflect Colorado's mountains and blue skies the Memorial holds the names of over 6,000 Coloradans killed or missing in action. They are grouped by war, but names will not be alphabetically listed. Much of the Colorado Freedom Memorial is meant to reflect the chaos of war, including the shuffling of names.

These heroes left the mountains of home to fight in places they'd never heard of answering their nation's call to duty. Over half of the men and women honored on the Memorial never returned home, their remains lost at sea, never recovered behind enemy lines, or buried in far away places. For families that never had a cemetery to visit, the Colorado Freedom Memorial becomes a place of grief and healing." (From the Colorado Freedom Memorial web site. https://coloradofreedommemorial.com/.)

Many communities throughout our country have some kind of a monument that lists the names of those, from their community, who paid the ultimate price in service to their country.

In many communities today, there will be a ceremony for a new Gold Star Families, to help the grieving families find a public way to honor the loved one that they lost in war. It is Memorial Day everyday for these families. Anytime you can acknowledge their loss, you are helping them grieve. That is valuable for all of U.S.

Wartime loss came close to my family. The fact that I am writing this blog post, is symbolic of the loss that others made, because, you see, my Dad came home, had a family, so I could live my life and today realize how privileged I am.

The Air Force has amazing historical archives. The following paragraph allowed me to see the debriefing report with the names of the crew from my Dad's 28th mission in WWII. Reading the six names of the men that perished makes it more personal than a general moment of silence.

In the piacute, my Dad is second from the right in the front row. This was his main crew. He was with another crew, "The Ragged Irregulars", flying "Sleepytime Gal', the day he was shot down. Even though these were not the faces of the crew below, the picture helps us gain an image of young men from the "greatest generation."

"Delivered Cheyenne 11/3/44; Gr Island 21/3/44; Dow Fd 6/4/44; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-A] Bassingbourn 22/4/44; Missing in Action 14+m Berlin 21/6/44 with Ed Waters, Co-pilot: George Abbott, Bombardier: Jim Van Pelt, Waist gunner: (My Dad and Hero) Bob Hettinger (4 Prisoners of War); Navigator: Alf Kovner, Top Turret Gunner: Lou Miller, Radio Operator: Chester Kolano, Ball turret gunner: Harry Humm, Waist gunner: Claude Hopkins, Tail gunner: Ed Shirley (6 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KO’d #3 and set fire to wing, crashed Ruehlow, ten miles E of Neubrandenburg, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 5983."

The main goal of grieving, that helps one know how to keep living, is to find an appropriate way to honor their departed loved one. 
Memorial Day gives our country a way to grieve the horrors of war, the loss of life and in the process honor those who died so that we can enjoy freedom.

Understanding grief and grieving, and walking with those who have experienced loss is the cornerstone of a caring ministry, a compassionate society and a healthy culture.

Local ceremonies seek to comfort for families, who lost a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister and give them a time to grieve, knowing their loved one is being honored.

Anytime you help someone grieve, what you are doing matters.