A Memorial Day to Remember

Memorial Day, 2011
Arlington National Cemetery

LTC Robert E. Campbell
USA (Ret) 1926-2010

Memorial Day, 2011 was a memorable one in so many ways.
Just last year, I had taken my Dad, LTC Robert E. Campbell, to the Memorial Day ceremony in Albuquerque.  Even though it was difficult for him to walk, and he was in some pain, he stood absolutely at attention and rendered a well-trained hand salute to the flag and to fellow officers.  The years had taken nothing from that reverence in which he held his colleagues, the fallen, and his country. 

Fast forward to Memorial Day, 2011, and reflect on a year's worth of changes.  Dad passed away the morning of October 11. 

We grieve his passing every day. Death can move the living.   Shelly and I have moved  to Washington, DC, and joined the Nation's diplomatic corps.  It is something that Bob Campbell instilled in me . . . service to country is an honorable calling, and one to be pursued. 

So it was no sacrifice for us to arrive at the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater hours ahead of the program, take our seats in the sun, and await the message of the President of the United States.  Once again, as he does so often, he spoke for me as he spoke to the Nation:

"What bonds this chain together across the generations, this chain of honor and sacrifice, is not only a common cause -- our country’s cause -- but also a spirit captured in a Book of Isaiah, a familiar verse, mailed to me by the Gold Star parents of 2nd Lieutenant Mike McGahan. “When I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  And I said, ‘Here I am.  Send me!” That’s what we memorialize today.  That spirit that says, send me, no matter the mission.  Send me, no matter the risk.  Send me, no matter how great the sacrifice I am called to make.  The patriots we memorialize today sacrificed not only all they had but all they would ever know.  They gave of themselves until they had nothing more to give.  It’s natural, when we lose someone we care about, to ask why it had to be them.  Why my son, why my sister, why my friend, why not me?"

So, to Bob Campbell and all of the fallen, we honor your memory, we thank you profoundly for your sacrifices, and, in some small way, we follow the path you have trod.  May God bless you. Rest in Peace.