CHASING AMERICAN LEGENDS

Ep4 Teaser

Episode 4 – A Grateful Nation

 

 

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Grateful Nation

There are few topics as emotionally moving as that of our fallen heroes. We have all seen the movies and TV shows like Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers. We all respect our veterans, and shudder at the sacrifices that they have gone through. I never fully understood the enormity of what all that meant until we visited Arlington Cemetery. Seeing how many graves there were, seeing just how many people had sacrificed their lives so that I could be free today…I was moved. Then, hearing from Col. Birdwell and his story, as well as the dedication of the Honor Guard, I realized…These guys are all modern day heroes. When we think of heroes, we think of people from history. But in reality, these heroes are all around us. They are silently standing guard, not caring if they get any fame or attention. By the time we were done with this trip, I realized just how much my respect for them had grown now that I fully understood what they went through and what some of them still go through. We have listed a few of the highlights from the trip below, with some more detailed information on each location. I hope and pray that this information moves you like it moved me.

—Reagan Green

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The Challenge:
Every family should visit Arlington National Cemetery to not only honor the fallen, but inspire the next generation to keep the flame alive.

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Marine Corps War Memorial
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial represents our nation’s gratitude to all Marines and those who have fought beside them. The Memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives for America.

The statue itself replicates Joe Rosenthal’s famous photograph of one of the most famous incidents of World War II, the raising of the flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Despite there being much controversy over the identity of the six marines in the photograph, there is no doubt that we owe a debt to our all Marines that we can only repay by living the freedom for which they sacrificed.

The Marine Corps War Memorial is particularly special to our family because Kara’s grand-father actually fought at Iwo Jima and was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries there.

 

The State Resolution (right) about Kara’s Grandfather (above) was passed by Rick while serving in the Texas House of Representatives.

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Arlington National Cemetery
The family was honored to be joined by fellow Texan, Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell, who personally took us on a tour of Arlington National Cemetery and shared the stories of many of the great heroes laid to rest there. The mission of Arlington National Cemetery is “Laying our Nation’s veterans…to rest with dignity and honor, while treating their loved ones with respect and compassion.” The cemetery accomplishes this goal well for both the veterans buried there, and the visitors who come to honor them. ANC is built on 624 acres that were originally owned by family members of George Washington’s wife, Martha Washington. The cemetery is the final resting place for over 400,000 members of our military, and still remains active with funeral services and ceremonies honoring our fallen heroes.

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Gravesite and The Eternal Flame
One of the things that most impressed the kids was the reverence and respect at the Kennedy eternal flame. Having visited and spoken at Arlington Cemetery multiple times, President John F. Kennedy was buried there, and a memorial erected in his honor. During President Kennedy’s funeral, his wife and brother lit the eternal flame that was placed there in honor of his memory. A memorial with some of President
Kennedy’s most famous quotes was erected around the grave to remind visitors of his words, wisdom, and warnings. So many of these words are still so applicable and inspiring today. We particularly enjoyed the following quote:

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In the long history of the world only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it!

Audie Murphy
As Texans, we certainly enjoyed learning about one of the most famous Texans to ever live. Audie Leon Murphy was born in Texas on June 20th, 1925, and is the most decorated combat soldier of World War II. He earned 33 awards throughout his career, including the Medal of Honor, The Distinguished Service Cross, and the Silver Star. He was credited with killing over 240 of the enemy, wounding even more, and saving countless of his friends’ lives. He fought in 9 major campaigns throughout the war, living through all of them to tell the tales afterwards. After his distinguished military career, Audie returned to the

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US to become a successful actor, writer, and even songwriter. He stared in the film “To Hell and Back” detailing the events of his own military career, playing himself! Tragically, Audie passed away on May 28th, 1971, in a plane crash. He was only 45 years of age, yet was already considered to be one of the greatest heroes to ever live.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established in 1921. The Unknown Soldiers laid to rest at the Tomb represent all missing and unknown service members who made the ultimate sacrifice – they not only gave their lives, but also their identities, to protect these freedoms. On the front of the memorial, it reads
“HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD”. Those words are the final tribute that we can offer the unknown soldiers who died so that we could be free. The memorial itself is guarded by the “Tomb Guard,” an extraordinarily disciplined part of the oldest military unit still in service, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. The guard stays on watch 24/7, as we found out when visiting, regardless of the weather. Their entire mindset can be summed up by Line 6 of their sacred Sentinel’s Creed, the code that they all follow, which states, 

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“My standard will remain perfection”… and it was guard carried out their duties to perfection!

Final Thoughts:

When we visited the Arlington National Cemetery, it was an emotional day! As I was walking through the cemetery with the graves of soldiers on both sides of me spanning as far as the eye could see, I was overwhelmed with two things. First, as a mom, I felt extreme gratefulness for the enormous sacrifices made by very young men and women over many generations. The visual of 400,000 graves put everything I love about America into perspective for me, and believe me it will make you emotional! Second, I felt indignation for all of the criticism that our military endures by loud, ignorant people (that’s saying it in a nice way!). It made me think of all the people I’ve encountered who are so quick to criticize what’s wrong about our country, but who have never contributed to the solution. For example, those who don’t take obvious to us that each

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the time to even vote… one of the simplest ways to live out our freedom! If you think America’s best days are behind her or that the country is so far gone that there’s no hope for her, then I encourage you to make it a priority to go to Arlington National Cemetery and walk through those graves and I promise you, you will feel that patriotism swell up in you and you will do whatever it takes to do your part to not let all of those brave soldiers’ deaths be in vain! It will be life changing, I promise.

—Kara Green

Discussion Questions

Essay Questions

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Guest Profile: Lt. Col. (Ret) Brian Birdwell
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Birdwell is a decorated military veteran, lifelong Texan, and current State Senator. After his service in our military and his recovery after September 11th, Col. Birdwell and his wife Mel launched “Face the Fire Ministries,” a non-profit organization that supports burn survivors, as well as wounded veterans and their families. Col. Birdwell and his wife also authored Refined by Fire: A Family’s Triumph of Love and Faith, which chronicles their family’s life changing ordeal.

To our family, Col. Brian Birdwell is the definition of a hero. He is our friend, our mentor, and a wonderful man of God. Brian and Mel have one son, Matt, and a fabulous daughter-in-law, Ann Marie. They reside in Tarrant County, Texas.