As the daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, aunt and mother of Veterans of Foreign Wars, I have always appreciated the sacrifices that generations have made to secure the freedoms our country provides. When Kenny shipped to Kuwait and then into Iraq with the Marines in 2003, I developed a stronger grasp of the sacrifices required.   Sleeping on the hood of a humvee under enemy fire, going for days without stop, uncertain supply provision, limited water under extreme heat. . . these were some of the experiences of my son.  Yet we were blessed that his battleground experience was short-lived; only 9 months overseas and he returned stateside.  Throughout our history, many others served for years without relief; families were left for months without knowing the status of their loved ones.  More heart breaking is those whose sons didn’t return home, under circumstances unknown. 

 

We were blessed that Kenny, and the unit with which he served, came home unscathed.  However, a young man from our church was killed in Iraq. He was 19 years old, and delayed his college education to enter military service in the aftermath of 9/11.  A few months into his tour of duty, his parents received that dreaded phone call that their son was injured and en route to Germany for treatment.  We helped them get overseas quickly and they arrived shortly before his death.  He best embodies for me the true meaning of Memorial Day as he was a life cut short while fighting to preserve our country’s freedom. Coleman Hinkefent is not forgotten by us, nor by the others who knew him.   On certain dates, we stop to remember them, yet as his mother expressed to me, “every day is Memorial Day for me, as every day I have to remember why my son gave his life.” 

 

Can any of us truly understand that sacrifice without enduring it personally?  I don’t believe so.  I remember Coleman at random moments, at the anniversary of his death, and when I hear the National Anthem, but it is not the same as the daily pain his family feels.  Countless other families have endured this same suffering; every day should truly be a memorial to that sacrifice.