Memorial Day memories- Day 2

"Not For Fame or Reward, Not For Place or For Rank

But In Simple Obedience To Duty as They Understood It"

And we've come to the second day of the link-up!  I'm joined by Faith P. and Gabrielle Emmons. Be sure and check out their amazing posts!  

Today I have a post for you about Richard Seglem, a man who fought in Vietnam and died there. 

I couldn't find much about this man. For some reason, there was no obituary listed, and the only records I could find were the record of his death. He was from Wichita, KS, that much I know. He was twenty years old, and he had been serving in the army for a year.  His grave is in cemetery not far from where I live, and I'm planning on doing some more research on him when I can get down to our central library.

But what I have been able to uncover brought tears to my eyes. 

I found messages written to him after he had died. 

We went to school together.

We were drafted together. 

We trained together.

We served together.

We who survived, live for you.

Thanks.

~A friend (found and taken from this site) 

Peace and condolence, to the family and friends. “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS” **John 15:13** You are my friend, always remembered, never forgotten.” May God Bless you for your Sacrifice!!!

~A Fellow Veteran (Found and taken from this site) 

I miss you and love you,and thank you and I am so proud of you for the courage and character you showed in answering your country's call. It was an honorable act being a soldier. 

~Patsy Richardson, his sister. (Found and taken from this site) 

After reading these, I wanna know more about him so bad! He sounds like an amazing man. Someone like that only comes around once in a lifetime. He was only twenty when he died. Shot down over in a foreign country. 

The cause of his death? Well, as his gravestone reads,  Mistaken for the Enemy Troops in Vietnam.  He wasn't killed by the enemy. He was mistaken for the enemy and killed by his own. 

Learning of Private Seglem and reading his story makes me think of someone else who was killed by His own people. By those He had grown up with. Only, He went willingly. He could have fought back, could have called a legion of angels to destroy those who were bent on killing Him.  

Yet, because of Christ's great love towards us, He sacrificed himself for us. A sacrifice for the remission of our sins. He was willing to lay down His life, that we might live free. 

As we celebrate Memorial day, let's remember something. Only two people have ever died for our freedom. Jesus, and the American soldier. One died to free our souls from the power that sin had over us. The other died to give of the gift of freedom as we live on this earth.