The Catholic Defender: My Day honoring our Soldiers on Memorial Day

My day first began watching the Fox News Channel as they were getting ready for a speech coming from President Donald Trump at Arlington Cemetery and this was one great speech. I went out to our front yard and took a picture of statues I have by our flag posted there.

I had previously talked with my wife who told me of one of her uncles who had been wounded in battle during WW II as did one of my uncles (Joe) who was bayoneted by a Japanese running upon him during a hand to hand fight. My Uncle survived killing the enemy but it took two Soldiers to take out the bayonet that was lodged in his hip.

I was also remembering our Brothers, Gigi's Brothers Gary and Gerald as well as my Brother David, all of whom served in Vietnam. My Father served right after the Korean War, but he always had interesting stories to tell of his service. My Brother Randy was a Marine who had been deployed to Lebanon and survived the blast that hit the Marine barracks on October 23, 1983.

My Mother made a picture of David just after he was released from his Asian duty.

David did not survive the conflict and his memory is honored here today. My Wife and I have three sons who served many times as well, Chip, Matthew, and Nathan all served multiple deployments to war zones.

Thank the Lord they all came home and doing well with their families.

I went to the Madison Alabama Cemetery to pray the Rosary with my new EWTN Warrior's Rosary to honor those who have gone before us. While beginning my devotion a lady called out to me asking me if I was the "Catholic Defender" and what a blessing this turned out to be.

MRS. Anzalone and one of her Son's (Eric) and his wife were at the grave sight of her husband who had recently died. I was told that MRS. Anzalone had been following some of our videos that we had produced and for me, this was a great blessing. They are a strong Catholic family, faithful to the teaching of the Church.

Following their visit, I then proceeded to walk the cemetery as I prayed the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.

What a great God we serve as I thought about those graves represented the souls who use to live. How Salvation is made possible through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Our Lord.

If there were anyone here whose souls might be in Purgatory, I hoped that I offered some relief, maybe even some release! We never know on this side of the viel of our effect here, but I can just imagine walking into the pearly gates of heaven meeting some that we did help by our prayers, our witness, and our life.

Hebrews 12:1 states, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

What a great scripture of hope for us!

President Trump earlier in his speech recalled another important verse that means so much to so many this very day: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you." John 15:13