The Pendragon's Hall

Memorial Day is a good day to reflect on the meaning of sacrifice. We hear a great deal from the opponents of war on how the populace should be made to sacrifice, hoping thereby to manufacture dissatisfaction with the war. But there is a deeper undercurrent here. Always a man looking inward, Abraham Lincoln stood on the battlefield of Gettysburg, where some 50,000 people had died, and urged his country to ensure "that these dead will not have died in vain." This meant fighting on to victory. We can show no greater appreciation for those who made the ultimate sacrifice than to ensure that the goal they fought for is achieved. "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."