A Memorial Day Devotion from the National Guard and Reserve

Scripture:

"If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth… And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze..."

— Jeremiah 15:19–20 (ESV)

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Devotional Thought:

Memorial Day carries a different weight when you're in the Guard or Reserve. We don’t just attend ceremonies — we feel the names. We remember the faces. We carry the stories.

Today, I find myself pausing — between drills, family, and civilian life — feeling the tension of two worlds, and yet the deep honor of standing in the gap. That’s what it means to serve in the Reserve and National Guard. We are not on the sidelines of history. We’ve been at the front — from Normandy to Kandahar.

Unlike active-duty counterparts, when our deployments end, we go straight back to our civilian roles — no decompression period, no base housing, no extended reintegration. One day we’re driving convoys in Iraq. The next, we’re coaching Little League, leading worship, or fixing laptops at the local school. We shift from firefights to family dinner. And when there's a loss, it doesn't just shake a unit — it shakes a community.

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."

— 2 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)

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Legacy of Faith and Sacrifice:

This tension between faith and service is not new. In fact, it’s our heritage.

We remember the Bedford Boys of the 116th Infantry Regiment — Virginia National Guard soldiers, many of them Christians, who were the first to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day. Nineteen young men from one small town gave their lives before most of the world had even heard the news. They left behind empty pews, unfinished prayers, and a legacy that shaped the soul of a nation.

More recently, we’ve seen that same legacy lived out in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 34th Infantry Division (Minnesota National Guard) — the Red Bulls — served one of the longest deployments since World War II. Chaplain John Morris led worship services in tents and bunkers, baptizing soldiers in plastic tubs and preaching Psalm 91 while mortars fell nearby. One of those soldiers, SPC Luke Nelson, carried a pocket Bible in his body armor and prayed with his team before every mission.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty… My God, in whom I trust."

— Psalm 91:1–2 (ESV)

In the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Tennessee National Guard), faith communities emerged in the barracks. NCOs led Bible studies after long missions. In the 3-172nd Infantry (Mountain) from Vermont, chaplains hiked alongside soldiers to remote outposts in the Hindu Kush, offering communion, prayer, and Scripture in the harshest of places.

And then there's something more personal — a story I carry with me still.

A Paratrooper’s Faith, a small booklet written by the mother of George Tullidge, who gave his life during WWII, has journeyed with me throughout my military career. His mother compiled the Scriptures and convictions that strengthened her son and passed them along to strengthen others. I keep that booklet close — not out of ritual, but because it reminds me that we carry more than a mission — we carry a faith that holds fast in every storm.

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send?' And I said, 'Here I am! Send me.’"

— Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)

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Personal Reflection:

Memorial Day is not about sentiment. It’s about sacred memory and renewed mission.

We remember those who didn’t come home — the ones who prayed before patrols, who wrote Scriptures on the inside of their helmets, who led worship in field chapels and held fast to Jesus in the darkest valleys.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

— John 15:13 (ESV)

But we also remember what they lived for — not just freedom, but faith. Not just victory, but truth.

So we stand in the gap — not only as soldiers, but as ambassadors of Christ. We carry forward the legacy of George Tullidge, Luke Nelson, and the Bedford Boys — not in headlines, but in our hearts, and in the lives we live after the uniform comes off.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

— Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

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Prayer:

Lord, thank You for those who laid down their lives — in Normandy, Iraq, Afghanistan, and in countless places the world may forget. But You never forget. Thank You for those who carried faith into the fight — and those who carried Your Word to the edge of the battlefield. Strengthen those of us who still serve — especially in the Reserve and Guard — to live lives worthy of their legacy. Make us strong as bronze, faithful in the tension, and anchored in Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.