(audio version available at the end of this post)

I have to confess, my family is comprised of lovers not fighters.

Of my father’s generation,  he served during Vietnam, but in the Mediterranean, safely aboard a destroyer thousands of miles from the nearest Viet Cong. His brother chose a different route, breaking his own arm to avoid the conflict. My mother’s brother had visions of military grandeur and volunteered for the most dangerous missions which subsequently no one ever talked about.

It was that kind of war.

My familial representatives of the “Greatest Generation” seemed to have missed the boat too. Although both of my grandfathers were the perfect age to serve in 1941, marriage and their wives’  impending childbirth presumably gave them a bye (although many people served with families so this remains a mystery and was never discussed in my family).

As for me?  Frankly I would break in half after the first day of basic training.  I am also not sure I could overcome the fear of bullets and guts no matter what the circumstances of war.

I just do not know and hope never to find out.

Our motives to serve in some capacity during a time a crisis are vast and so too are our options though.  And we do not require a crisis to serve.

I am re-reading a wonderful biography about Eisenhower this weekend, and although it admittedly drifts into hagiography at times, here is what struck me.

Most people served during WWII because they had to but that did not preclude them from performing beyond their perceived capacity, on the front, at headquarters, or back at home.

And although today we honor those who died in war, let’s pause, put down the Bud and burger, to reflect on how we all have opportunities to serve something greater than ourselves during war and peace if we take the time to search for meaning and purpose in our lives.

Rarely meaning is thrust upon us, so we are obligated to discover it all around us.

Start now.

And to all those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice . . . thank you and rest in peace.