May 27, 2012

Remembering the unkown

"Who is buried here?" my youngest asked as we were sitting in the gallery to the Gravesite of the Unkown soldier."shhhh!" I say trying to maintain the silence (they WILL reprimand you if you are disruptive),"no one knows". "Why not" he asks, whispering....... I will explain later.

I am sure there have been a few conversations, like this one that afternoon a few years ago, when kids try to grasp the solemn, reverence of this place in our nations capital. The 'soldier' honored there is in spirit, everyman that has ever lost their lives in the service of this great country, yet  the three who are actually entombed there, they are those who's names we do not know. Not only did they lose their mortal lives, but their identities as well, and in doing so, became an important symbol for a place of national mourning and remembrance to this day.

Every second of every day since July 1st 1937, this tomb has been under watch of a handful of guards that have volunteered and been selected for this solemn duty. Their time here is for only a short season built around this important task, but it is an honor that they will cherish their entire lives.

The tombs themselves are simple, granite slabs recessed into the platform overlooking the mall across the Potomac River and the over 400,000 surrounding graves of the fallen whom we know, with a solid granite monument behind inscribed with Here Rests In Honored glory An American Soldier Known But To God.

These three deceased men receive many, many thousands of yearly visitors, perhaps more than any other gravesite in the world, yet they remain in anonymity for it is only to God they are known. The very that God promises that He intimately knows each and everyone of us, even to the point of knowing the number of hairs on our heads, as recorded in Luke 12:7! Whether in life or in death, we are not a mystery to Him.... but Him to us, until we decide to live for Him, accepting His sacrifice as sufficient for us.

As we honor and remember the sacrifice given by these three men and the countless others to their country and our freedom on this Memorial Day, let us also remember the ultimate sacrifice of the One who created us and gave Himself up for us.