(Version 2a)
A Sunday service led by the
Reverend Michael Walker, Interim Minister
Presented in Observance of Memorial Day – May 29, 2016, at the
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Fallen Heroes
v.2a
CALL TO WORSHIP (by Rev. Michael Walker)
OFFERING
Every week, we light candles of joy,
[INSERT OFFERING FROM HYMNAL]
Candles of sorrow,
If you are here for the first time, we invite you to
Candles of light full of meaning.
let the offering basket pass you by, because you are our
Every week, we light our chalice,
honored guest. And if you have made this your spiritual
To celebrate together the
home, we thank you for your continuing generosity.
Spirit of Life within us all.
Every month, we also collect donations during the
Today, let’s light our chalice in memory
Offering to support a worthy cause. This month, our
Of those who have died in service
Share-the-Plate Recipient is ____________________.
Of something greater than themselves.
If you are writing a check, please specify on the
Today, let’s honor the noble sacrifices
Memo line whether this is for your Pledge, an offering to
Of many ordinary people,
UCH, or for the Share-the-Plate recipient.
Who did extraordinary things.
Thank you, all, for your generosity. This
May it ever be so and blessed be you all!
May 29, 2016
Rev. Michael Walker
morning’s offering will now be received.
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Rev. Michael Walker
many unofficial observances in cities around the country,
this official observance was declared by Gen. John
Reverend Michael Walker
Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the
Republic, which was the veteran’s organization for
Memorial Day is more than just a three-day
Union soldiers and sailors.
weekend that marks the beginning of summer vacation.
In 1967, in honor of the veterans who fought in
It is the day to remember and to offer our respects to
those who died in service to our nation. In a faith
World War I, Congress enacted a law that declared the
community that has always been anti-war and promoters
last Monday in May to be Memorial Day. They further
of peace, how can we memorialize the dead? Before we
declared that this holiday was in observance of sacrifices
answer that question, here is a bit of history...
made by any American soldiers, sailors, airmen and
Marines, that fought and died in any war. In my
research, I’ve learned that over one-million Americans
Officially, this holiday began as “Decoration Day”
in 1868, as a time for remembering those soldiers who
have died in wars since the American Revolution. Our
had died in the Civil War. Although there had been
Civil War had over 200,000 deaths, and World War II
had almost 300,000 American deaths.
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It’s really hard to get my mind around those huge
Rev. Michael Walker
[SILENCE]
numbers. If today is a day to remember those who made
Being a veteran as I am, I know many names that I
sacrifices in the service of our nation, I question how we
could say right now. I’m going to name only one.
can possibly remember so many people. It’s a staggering
Michael Van Johnson. There was a point in my career
number. I will get to a critique of war before I’m done
when I had risen up through the ranks, and like others of
today, but first let’s try to put a face on these numbers.
my rank and station, was responsible for training the
younger guys who came behind us. I was serving with a
I can imagine that most people here have had
Marine battalion, although I was actually in the Navy.
someone you have known, were related to, or other wise
This was because the Marines do not have their own
had connection to, who died in a war at some point in our
medical staff, so they have medical people from the Navy
history. This person may have been somebody very
assigned to them. And Johnson was a young man who
close to you, or maybe it was someone who was only a
had arrived there towards the end of my tour, who was
distant relative, but all the same let’s take a moment to
motivated to do well, eager to learn, and very proficient
remember those whose mission it was to defend us and
at his job. Although I was not alone in this
died doing so.
responsibility, one of the things I did was train these
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guys, including Johnson.
Rev. Michael Walker
around 40 of these medically-trained sailors assigned to a
As I mentioned, it was towards the end of my
Marine battalion. Each platoon will usually have one
tour, because I had been with this Marine battalion in
young man serving as a hospital corpsman, who the
Twentynine Palms for three and half years. I had
Marines called “Doc.” It is Doc’s job to patch up a
received orders to go work in a medical clinic on a base
Marine, if he gets shot and drag him back to safety,
in Japan, and I was looking forward to the transfer. Just
among other things. Now, at this point in my career, I
a few weeks before I was due to fly across the Pacific,
was senior enough in rank that I would have been
the events of September 11, 2001 occurred. I fully
stationed in the headquarters, if I had deployed with the
expected that my orders would be canceled, and that I
Battalion. But I knew almost 40 young men, usually in
would be deployed with the battalion to Afghanistan.
their late teens and early 20s, whose job it was to go into
However, that is not what happened. I did transfer as
the field with their platoons.
ordered to Japan, and was not to learn what happened to
I remember Michael Van Johnson today, because it
my old battalion, until a few months later.
turns out that he was the first hospital corpsman to be
I should tell you a little bit about what a Hospital
killed in Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11. Now
Corpsman does with the Marines. There are usually
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remember I said that this was a smart guy, good at his
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job, eager to succeed and dedicated to taking care of the
remember, that it is true of every soldier and sailor and
people in his charge. He was not the type of person that I
Marine that they are trained by many many people who
would think was reckless or one to take unnecessary
came before them. In the case of Johnson, I was not the
risks. But, he was one who would go to the front line
only one who trained him.
where a Marine had been shot, to try to help him. That
At the same time, I can never forget seeing faces
was his job. And that made the target out of him.
I’d seen before, but now on TV. Seeing Johnson’s young
It always falls to those who are left behind, to
wife, holding their baby, at the door of their base housing
remember those who have died. It falls to those who are
with reporters wanting a quote. I did not know her well
left behind, to ruminate about all the ways things happen,
enough to have ever seen her cry before, but I felt a sense
all the ways things could have been different, all the
of responsibility watching on the news as she tearfully
things we could’ve said or done had we had the chance.
told the reporters that she just wanted them to leave her
Yes, I have had many occasions to think upon the
alone. Husbands and wives, parents and children,
training that I provided Johnson and many others. I have
siblings and friends – these are the people who are left
had occasion to think: Did I do right by them? Did I
behind to pick up the pieces. The dead are gone – it is
teach them everything I possibly could? And yes, I do
their people who do the crying.
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Although I realize that I’m likely to be preaching
Rev. Michael Walker
But I cannot forget those million Americans who are
to the choir, as I speak to you all about war, but I can’t
heroes. It was not these people who died that started the
help thinking every single day: Haven’t we had enough?
war, or who gave the order that sent them into harm’s
Haven’t we had enough of killing, enough of dying?
way. It was someone else who gave those orders; it was
Since the inception of this nation, over a million of our
someone else who started those wars. It’s a sad truth that
citizens have died in war. I said before that this is such a
those who start wars very rarely die in them.
huge number it is difficult to fathom. But these numbers
As I think of heroes, I realize that there are many
have faces and names, and they had people who loved
out there besides the military. I’d like to take a moment
them. Haven’t we had enough?
also to remember those who gave their lives, not in war,
but in the effort to keep us safe. No one who was alive
It seems to me that Memorial Day is a day to
on 9/11 is likely to ever forget that day, or forget where
remember not only our loved ones, but all heroes who
they were when it happened. And we all know where the
have sacrificed their lives for others. Yes, I can critique
New York City firefighters, police and other emergency
the very concept of war. I can rail against the very
workers were on that day. Of the over 3000 who died on
reasons behind, and perceived needs for, violent action.
September 11th, 411 of them were rescuers —
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firefighters, police, EMTs — working to save others.
change. I regret to see that change, that occurrence of
These are heroes who I would never want to forget.
violence, growing in our society.
And some days, it is a very ordinary person who
There was a man in Knoxville who is said to have
takes extraordinary action to help other people. I’m sure
spent, maybe, too much time listening to conservative
that we can all cite stories of people we’ve heard of or
talk-show hosts spewing lies about liberals, and he
seen, or maybe someone here may be such a person.
walked into that church in Knoxville during a play that
But one story that particularly touches me, for obvious
was being performed by the children of the church. He
reasons, concerns people who were at the Tennessee
brought with him a shotgun — you can imagine that this
Valley UU Church in Knoxville, on July 7, 2008.
is the nightmare of every minister in our movement.
Unitarian Universalists pride ourselves on being
When a church member and father, Greg
liberal, loving people who believe that our society’s great
McKendry, realized what was happening, he rose to
mission is to care for all people. And yet, there are
block the way of the gunmen, so that he could not get to
people in our society who have polar opposite political
the children. He died as a result of this brave act. Mr.
views from us, which is fine for as long as it’s all about
McKendry was a hero to everyone in that congregation,
talking. When it comes to actions, violent actions, things
and will always be remembered for the sacrifice he made
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Rev. Michael Walker
to save others. Other members of the congregation were
sacrificed their lives. This was not always a day for
able to stop this person from committing further violence,
barbecues and summer vacations. And so today, I try to
and he was then arrested. As we can well imagine, this
hold in tension two things: A need to remind us of all the
congregation will never be the same. But one wonderful
heroes in our lives, and a need to help us gain something
thing that they have is the loving memory of a hero in
uplifting and edifying from our Sunday services.
their midst. I never knew this man, but I admire him. A
So, let me end with this message: When we
very ordinary man, who took extraordinary action. In my
remember our heroes, remember not just that they died.
mind, this is the truest definition of a hero: and ordinary
Let us also remember why and how. That young
person taking extraordinary action, saving others without
corpsmen that I once knew, Johnson… He was
regard to themselves.
attempting to save another person, who didn’t want to be
One of you out there may be thinking, “my God,
in that place anymore than he did. They were ordered to
this guy is a downer!” One thing I learned in my
be there, and Johnson was working to save the life of
research about Memorial Day was that it was once a very
another person. And on 9/11, those firefighters, those
somber observance. It was a day when people went to
policemen, all of those people… they were working to
cemeteries and spent time remembering people that
rescue other people in distress. Mr. McKendry in
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Rev. Michael Walker
Knoxville stood firm and tall, as a physical barrier
BENEDICTION (by Rev. Michael Walker)
between his church’s children and an angry, evil person.
When an ordinary person does something
There are people in your own lives, I’m sure, who have
Quite extraordinary, let us always remember.
done just as extraordinary things as the people I have
When some ordinary, special, lovely person
talked about today. Please remember them, please
Offers grace to us, let’s accept it humbly.
remember what they stood for, please remember why
Grace is something we do not ask for,
they did what they did. Remember why that ordinary
But comes upon us unbidden and unexpected.
person did an extraordinary thing.
And when we have grace to lend another,
May ever be so and blessed be you all!
May we always do so with humility and honor.
When an ordinary person does something
Quite extraordinary, let us always remember.
Let us never forget our heroes…
May it ever be so and blessed be you all!
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