Every year on Memorial Day, I hear people refer to soldiers who died in the line of duty as making the ultimate sacrifice. Something about the statement always made me uneasy. I agree that death is certainly a high price to pay.
However as a parent, I can't help thinking that the ultimate sacrifice is to sacrifice one's child. Many parents would rather die than have anything happen to their child.
But then, reality kicks in. There are those parents who would sacrifice their children without hesitation. For them, it would not be a high price to pay.
So, given that self-sacrifice is always a high price to pay and sacrificing a child is not always the ultimate price for all people, I defer to the age old reference.
Personally, being one of those who values my children above myself, I would honor the parents of fallen soldiers for their ultimate sacrifice.
Comments