The Altar of Freedom
Image mashup from: Essence.com and Pinterest
Memorial Day is about humble reflection. It was once known as Decoration Day, honoring the sacrifices of those who fought to keep America united during the Civil War. In 1971 Memorial Day became an official federal holiday. One hundred years is a long time to wait for recognition. In the same way, this column is about the long-overdue acknowledgment of sacrifice over personal glory.
In 1864, President Lincoln allegedly wrote a heartfelt letter to one Mrs. Bixby regarding the personal tragedy she felt upon losing five sons in battle during the Civil War. Whether the letter was penned by Lincoln or one of his secretaries, its words still bring a lump to one’s throat:
“…I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom…”
Of course, patriots across the country still understand the sacrifices that must be laid at the altar of freedom. Stories of personal sacrifice bring hope to hearts and tears to eyes in an otherwise underwhelming version of what passes for American pride these days. At the same time, scrolling through the available programming on television or a streaming service overshadows these sacrifices with countless shows about personal glory. Perhaps, there is no greater personal glory in the United States than rising to stardom in one’s field.
The “stars” of America take to social media, offering carefully curated messages of social justice, mindful of their branding. Hollywood types, musicians, and sports icons need only add to their story on Instagram or send a one-minute video lecture on TikTok about how others should live to become newsworthy. The truth is it provides sad commentary for what passes for courage and bravery. Men like Pat Tillman — former NFL star turned Army Ranger who died in combat — have their voices drowned out by slogans spouted from the mouths of babes, screaming from their safe spaces about the intolerance of liberty.
Perhaps, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is courageous and brave. Forgoing the opportunity to play the sport he once loved to stand for his preferred cause carries great controversy. The pain of that polarization is softened by the likes of NIKE endorsement deals bringing his net worth into the tens of millions of dollars despite not having played football for years.
Kaepernick won the genetic Olympics and social lottery all in one fell swoop. By all accounts, he is extremely intelligent, having graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA. He is athletically gifted, excelling in three sports, then setting collegiate football records at the University of Nevada before taking his wares to the pros. Colin was adopted into a well-to-do family who provided the resources and support for his talents to blossom. Kaepernick gave up his shot at personal glory on the gridiron for social justice, and personal glory on social media — not to mention those lucrative deals whereby woke and concerned companies can bring cachet to their brand through joint ventures.
Something seems amiss. Giving up personal glory for… other personal glories cannot be what Lincoln referred to when he, or his secretary, wrote to Mrs. Bixby. Social media causes bear little resemblance to the costly sacrifices required by the altar of freedom. By comparison, Kaepernick and other social justice warriors could learn from those who came before them.
Reflecting on Memorial Day’s purpose, veterans like Tillman or the nameless men and women who keep this country safe offer far more tangible value to their communities through actual sacrifice than social media personalities ever could. While that might seem like a foregone conclusion for many Americans, a better comparison for Kaepernick can be found examining the life and legacy of another star-studded athlete.
Theodore Samuel Williams — better known as “Ted” or the ‘greatest hitter who ever lived’ — overcame many of the prejudices modern athletes lament from their gated mansions or downtown penthouses. Williams was born in 1918 to a white father and Mexican-American mother. He never shared his heritage until his playing days were done. Like Colin, Ted also had a frosty relationship with the media, though that was confined to his efforts on the baseball field or his penchant to take walks instead of hitting more home runs. What separates Williams from the likes of Kaepernick is Ted took five years away from the prime of his career to serve his country in two foreign wars.
On the heels of two seasons where Williams finished second in the American League MVP voting, the baseball icon left the ball diamond in 1942 to fight fascism. Ted was commissioned in 1944 as a Naval Aviator. He didn’t return to the Boston Red Sox until 1946.
In 1952, Williams again left baseball to fight for his country. This time, it was against the communists in North Korea. All told, he flew thirty-nine combat missions — his plane caught fire during one where he was forced to crash land — and received numerous commendations. Health concerns forced him to leave the Marines in 1953. After recovering, Ted spent seven more seasons playing for Boston, retiring in 1960 as one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Williams’ playing career spanned nineteen seasons. He owns multiple records that stand to this day. Still, he selflessly gave up five years in his twenties and early thirties because he felt called to defend freedom’s blessings for those he’d never met. His sacrifice was highly personal. Had Ted been selfish — and who could have blamed him — he might have become the single greatest baseball player of all time. Awards might bear his name (currently, only the All-Star game MVP does so).
But Ted didn’t let personal glory stand in the way of what he knew was right. He knew that freedom requires great sacrifice. Sure, he’d been made to endure some measure of prejudice in his past. He chose to keep quiet those parts of his personal story that others might judge. Whether that decision was right doesn’t change that Williams offers a stark contrast to the role models children see today.
Imagine a Colin Kaepernick putting himself in harm’s way to defend the lives of others with his own flesh and blood. Picture a social media personality choosing to anonymously better the lives of strangers for no other reason than it felt right. When kids are not presented with authentic examples of forgoing personal glory in the name of sacrifice, is it any wonder those same adolescent minds disregard the inestimable worth of freedom?
On this Memorial Day, reflect on the costly sacrifices that must be laid at the altar of freedom. One of those sacrifices might very well be personal glory.