As a medic, my grandfather sat by countless hospital beds during the Korean War.

He would write letters home for men who knew they might never see their families again. Those moments became powerful memories for him. They were a weight he carried for decades. He bore the burden of memory — a burden we are now in danger of forgetting.

Memorial Day isn’t just a holiday. It’s a defiant stand against our own human tendency to let the sacrifices of the fallen fade into the noise of our fast-paced lives. We must remember, because the stories of those who gave everything for our freedom are the part of our story that makes everything possible for us in our current time.

My grandfather carried with him that weight of remembering until his final days. My wife’s grandfather, a bomber pilot in Vietnam, carried a similar burden. Like my grandfather, he rarely spoke of his service. But when those of us in the family who served sit with him, he begins to share.

His stories are vivid, etched with the clarity of a man who could never forget the skies he flew or the comrades who didn’t return. He holds on to the memories, because they matter. Listening to him, I have come to realize how vital it is to hold those stories close. They aren’t just his — they’re ours. They are American stories. Stories of our country’s finest, who died so that my children and I can be free.

Our culture, driven by a relentless news cycle and a forward-looking obsession, often forgets. It’s our own human nature to let the past slip away, to assume our freedoms and comforts are a given. But this forgetting comes at a cost. As my grandfather’s stories taught me, memory is not passive. It is an active choice, a discipline.

Scripture repeatedly underscores this truth. Deuteronomy 5:15 tells us to “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”

God commands His people to remember. Why? Because without memory, we lose our sense of who we are. We begin to think history began with us, ignoring the countless souls who have paved our way. Memorial Day is our national reminder of this truth, a day to recall the men and women who laid down their lives so we might live free.

The weight of memory is not meant to crush us but to ground us. It reminds us that our freedom is not free—it was purchased at a great price. The families of the fallen walk among us, carrying their own quiet burdens. We honor them by listening to their stories, by reading about the sacrifices made, by teaching our children the names and deeds of those who served. My grandfather never forgot. My wife’s grandfather never forgot. Their memories shaped them, and now they shape us.

There is something else about remembering those who died so that we might live. It reminds us that their sacrifice demands our action. They gave their lives so that we can live. We have an obligation to take that seriously and live with meaning. We have a duty to march forward and seek victory. To do what is good. To live our lives, and pass our heritage down to our children. If we do not, we belittle the sacrifices made on our behalf.

It is time for us all to discipline ourselves and remember. We must be thankful for the sacrifice and embrace our great heritage. We must live our lives like they have been protected at great cost — because they have been. We must remember.

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Daniel Hayworth is the Lead Pastor of Vintage Church Harker Heights near Fort Hood, Texas, where he lives with his wife and four children.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The Weight Of Memory: Why Memorial Day Matters