I sat alone awkwardly. I really felt out of place and that I shouldn’t be there. But here I was anyway, sitting in the Foster chapel for a memorial service, flanked by women I didn’t know, with Marines in front and behind me. Barrett was about to give a five minute homily for his Marines who had just lost two of their own in a helicopter crash on mission in Nepal. Scripture was read, prayers were given and a Chaplain spoke to the Marines of the other Unit who had lost four Marines in this crash. Heads were steady, eyes forward. Then the band began Amazing Grace and the burly Marines before me collapsed in tears that shook their bodies. I couldn’t stop my own tears.
Barrett got up to speak to his Marines and it was then that I realized I was sitting behind the Marine whose fiance had died in the crash. Barrett addressed his Marines and this one directly with tears in his own eyes and the Marines once again folded and shook in their sorrow. Barrett encouraged them to see that a life dedicated to serving and loving others more than themselves is a life worth remembering, honoring, and emulating. These Marines died serving the people in Nepal by bringing relief and aid to a country ravaged by earthquakes.
Poster sized pictures of these six fallen warriors filled the stage of the chapel and we were given peaks into their lives by friends doing their best to maintain control in their eulogies. Then came the rollcall. The Sergent Major stood up and in a strong, burly voice called out names of Marines who snapped to attention and shouted, “PRESENT”. When he came to the names of the fallen Marines there was silence. He called their full names again. Silence. This went on until all those fallen were named and unanswered. Oh my heart! Tissue boxes were emptied, men held onto each other and wept. I stood aside with my eyes filled with new tears as I thought about how much these Marines cared for each other.
I can’t help but think of what a charmed life I lead. I have a husband who loves me, a daughter whom I adore, two more children coming who I love more than I could ever have imagined, stamps in my passport, an extended family on both sides that care for us, a place to lay my head, food on my plate…for every meal, and a breath for each moment. I celebrated Annabelle turning 4, met a friend in Hong Kong, walked through a new mall excited to see a Gap and American sizes, and went to Annabelle’s dance recital. Yet these Marines have lost a friend and a future wife in a mission of mercy. How is that fair?
Fair. A word I love to use yet my theology says that if life was fair, my sin would bring me immediate death. If life was fair, I would never have the hope of heaven due to the grace and mercy of God through Jesus. No, life is not fair. But my theology also says that God is good and soverign. This gives tragedies like this meaning and reason. I don’t know why these Marines died, but I do know that they served countless Nepalese villages and people. I know these Marines took care of their friends and left a mark on many lives. These Marines death have made each of us look at our own lives and wonder if we would ever be willing to die for another. These Marines death have made me so thankful for what and who the Lord has given me in my own life and not take it/them for granted. And now these Marines life and death are causing you to think about your own life. Don’t let the moment pass. What and who are you living for? I aks myself the same questions. Lord, thank you for the lives of these Marines, may we never forget them. Help us to trust that you are good and soverign thereby giving a purpose in times like these. Hear our cries, encourage the fainthearted, and be the lifter of our heads.