--- id: 20150501_memorial_day title: BLOG - Memorial Day category: Biblical Life Counsel predicted_narrative_arc: remembrance-to-biblical-hope sentiment: Convictional emotions: - Grateful - Reflective - Hopeful keypoints: - Memorial Day calls former service members to remember those who died in or after war - Combat leaves lasting memories and often residual PTSD that never fully erases - Trust forged in combat is rare and precious; survivors still carry the burden of the fallen - Survivors may question God about why some lived and others died - Jeremiah 29:11 frames God's plans for good, future, and hope; thank those in uniform summary: > Dean Rush reflects on Memorial Day as a former service member remembering comrades who died in combat or afterward, including the lasting weight of combat memories and PTSD. He honors survivors who ease that burden, admits questioning God about why he was spared, and points to Jeremiah 29:11 — God's plans for good and hope — while urging readers to thank those who serve or have served. tags: - blog - human-resources - memorial-day - veterans - combat - ptsd - jeremiah-29 - gratitude - biblical-wisdom - dean-rush sycophancy: 0 truth_score: 8 entropy: 3 sample: false consent: owner_approved agent: blog created: '2015-05-01' updated: '2026-09-09T00:00:00Z' vault_stage: 07_CODEX headwaters: BLOG prefix: BLOG enrich_status: ok enrich_blockers: [] enrich_method: manual pipeline_filename: BLOG_2015-05-01_memorial-day.md source_kind: blog_article proposed_topic: Wisdom lane: Wisdom voice: desk active_voice: desk voices: - desk routing_source: carbon corpus_topic: Wisdom content_status: active date: '2015-05-01' share_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/memorial-day source_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/memorial-day site_category: Human Resources archive_month: 2015-05 description: > Dean remembers fallen comrades on Memorial Day, names the lasting burden of combat memory, and points survivors' questions about being spared toward Jeremiah 29:11's promise of God's good plans and hope. --- # Memorial Day **Author:** Dean Rush **Original post:** [deanrush.net/blog/memorial-day](https://deanrush.net/blog/memorial-day) **Archive month:** May 2015 · **Site category:** Human Resources > Voice note: Everything under **Dean's article** is Dean's original prose (lightly cleaned of HTML/image artifacts only). Sections marked **Biblical foundations**, **Scholar sidebar**, **Takeaways**, and **First-time learner** are enrichment for Asker / first readers — not Dean speaking. --- ## Biblical foundations (preface) Dean stands with millions of former service members who remember the dead, carry combat memories that never fully leave, and sometimes ask God why they lived when brothers did not. He already surfaces Jeremiah 29:11 as part of the answer. The enrichment below does not replace his testimony; it shows the wider biblical frame for a first-time reader. | Dean's claim | Scriptural undercarriage | | --- | --- | | Those who served and died deserve to be remembered | Greater love lays down life for friends (John 15:13); honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7) | | Combat memories and trauma do not simply erase | The Lord is near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18); cast anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7) | | Deep trust forged under fire is rare and life-shaping | Two are better than one; a cord of three strands (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12); bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) | | Survivors may question why they were spared | God's ways are higher (Isaiah 55:8–9); yet He knows the plans He has (Jeremiah 29:11) | | Gratitude toward those in uniform matters | Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11); give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) | --- ## Dean's article ### Memories Never Leave ![American flag from Dean's original post](https://deanrush.net/Portals/0/images/article/flag-l.jpg) I, like millions of other former service members, have today, Memorial Day, reflected on people we knew who have given their lives for this country. Some died in combat and others in their lives following a war. I personally believe that if they served and have died, they are to be remembered as having provided a benefit to our society. > **Scholar sidebar — Remembrance as honor, not nostalgia** > Scripture treats memory of sacrificial love as holy work, not sentiment alone. Jesus names the highest love as laying down one's life for friends (John 15:13). Paul links civic honor to what is due (Romans 13:7). Dean's Memorial Day posture — remembering those who served and died as a benefit to society — sits inside that frame: the living refuse to let the dead become anonymous. ### Memories Prove Are Always Present It is statistically proven that everyone who has been in combat has some residual or active Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The memories never stop popping up. They are never erased from the memory bank. There is a very positive side to the experience of knowing brothers in combat. Few times in life do we really trust our lives to others. In combat there are times you learn that trust is the key to survival. I remember vividly having to identify the bodies of two of my comrades in arms after their airplane was shot down. I also remember hearing that one of the guys I had flown with committed suicide after he got back to the states because the memories were too vivid to push out of his mind. There were men who died that we saw or flew with and never knew their names. They were still very real in our memory banks because they fought beside us on a daily basis. > **Scholar sidebar — Trauma, trust, and nearness** > Dean holds two truths together: combat memory can wound for a lifetime, and combat brotherhood can teach a depth of trust few civilians ever know. Psalm 34:18 promises the Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit — nearness, not denial. Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 honors shared strength; Galatians 6:2 calls believers to bear one another's burdens. Dean's honesty about identifying fallen comrades and hearing of a brother's suicide is pastoral candor: the church must not rush past such wounds with slogans. ### Only Experienced Warriors Understand the Memories! All said I am reminded that there were also great men who survived and are now friends with whom we can share life, the good memories, and friendships. It is those men that I also commend because they have helped lessen the burden we carry for many years. When I could only think of the traumatic moments of others who lost their lives. I and others have been prone to question God. We want to know why some lived and others died? In my case I did not live because I lived a perfect life. Quite the opposite, I won't know why I have been spared and one of my first questions when I get to heaven will be, "why did you spare me, a sinner?" There is a verse in the bible that shows part of the answer: *Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, plans to give you a future and hope."* Tell the next person in uniform or who has been in uniform that you love and appreciate them. It will make a difference. In Him Dean > **Scholar sidebar — Spared for purpose, not perfection** > Dean refuses a works-based explanation of survival: he was not spared because he was perfect. Jeremiah 29:11, spoken first to exiles, still names God's character toward His people — plans for welfare, not disaster, a future and a hope. Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds us that God's reasons often remain above ours until glory. Dean's closing practice is concrete and biblical: honor the living who serve (Romans 13:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). Remembrance of the dead and gratitude to the living belong together. --- ## Takeaways 1. **Remember the served and fallen.** Dean insists those who served and died conferred a real benefit on society and deserve Memorial Day remembrance. 2. **Combat memory does not erase.** He names residual PTSD and vivid, recurring memories as the shared reality of those who have been in combat. 3. **Brotherhood under fire teaches trust.** Few other settings require entrusting your life to others; that bond remains a positive gift amid the trauma. 4. **Survivors still ask God hard questions.** Dean models honest prayer: why was a sinner spared when others died — and he points to Jeremiah 29:11 as part of the answer. 5. **Thank the uniformed.** A simple word of love and appreciation to someone who serves or has served can make a difference. --- ## First-time learner ### What is Dean saying in one sentence? On Memorial Day, remember those who gave their lives, carry combat wounds honestly before God, and thank the living who serve — trusting Jeremiah 29:11 that God's plans are for good and hope. ### Why does he quote Jeremiah 29:11? Because survivors ask why some lived and others died. Dean refuses to credit his own perfection and leans on God's declared plans for a future and a hope as part of the answer he can hold now. ### Key verses to read with this post - **Jeremiah 29:11** — Plans for good, future, and hope. - **John 15:13** — Greater love lays down life for friends. - **Psalm 34:18** — The Lord is near the brokenhearted. - **Ecclesiastes 4:9–12** — Shared strength and a threefold cord. - **Galatians 6:2** — Bear one another's burdens. - **Romans 13:7** — Honor to whom honor is due. - **Isaiah 55:8–9** — God's ways higher than ours. ### A simple practice (Dean's challenge made concrete) This week: (1) name aloud one person who served and died or carried combat wounds, (2) pray Jeremiah 29:11 for a veteran you know, (3) thank the next person in uniform (or who has been) that you love and appreciate them. ### How this feeds Ask Dean Seed material for questions such as: *How does Dean talk about Memorial Day? What does he say about PTSD and faith? Why Jeremiah 29:11 for survivors?* Answers should keep Dean's voice primary and use the scholar notes only as supporting biblical scaffolding.