This Memorial Day - do you remember?

Grave of PFC James McClamrockPhoto byKim McKinney

I used to get very frustrated each Memorial Day.

For some reason everyone tries to fold every military holiday into one and treat them all the same. Particularly frustrating is when people don’t know the difference between Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day.

Veteran’s Day honors all veterans that served in the military. It happens in November,

Memorial Day, however, honors those veterans who died while actually in military service. Those who truly gave their lives, their future, for our country. It occurs this last weekend in May.

You’ll hear a lot about Gold Star families around Memorial Day. These are the families those soldiers we remember left behind. Those that grieve them when others seem to forget. If you know one of these families, or many of them, find a way to let them know you remember their soldier. It may be an emotional day for them, so respect their needs.

I started an exercise for myself years ago. I wanted to make sure I remembered the reason for Memorial Day and remembered these fallen soldiers we honor. I wanted to remember them as more than faceless soldiers or “troops”, but as people.

I began to randomly pick a soldier each year to represent all. I began by going to a database of soldiers who had died in active service and thought of some random quality to search on. Over the years I have varied how I do this, but I always try to make the way I choose and who I choose a bit different. I can’t name each soldier we have lost, so I find one to represent all. I’ve tried to cover all wars, different genders, races, and religions. Those from near and far.

After I pick a soldier’s name I try to find out about them, using the internet or other research documents. I want to know something about the person our country lost and how they died. We should never forget the brutality of war.

In recent years I have picked local soldiers and even tried to find their graves. Seeing the graves is a sobering reminder that a life was taken.

This year I was talking to singer Rockie Lynne, who is deeply involved with the non-profit organization Tribute to the Troops. I asked him to give me the name of someone who died in service to our country. The first name that popped into his mind.

Rockie gave me the name James McClamrock. He said he graduated from South Iredell High School (a school in the county where we live). He was going to continue to tell me about him, but I stopped him. Part of this exercise for me is to find out about the person myself. There should be some work involved. There should be a trail to find and follow.

The day was September 7, 2010.

It was the afternoon of the second day of a three-night mission where American soldiers were going with Iraqi soldiers to capture terrorists. Some American soldiers rested in the shade while others looked out for snipers in the area.

A uniformed Iraqi soldier suddenly arrived on the scene and shot them with his AK-47 from just 4-5 ft. away. He had returned from leave just hours before the suicide attack. He was later said to belong to a mosque sympathetic to insurgent ideologies.

PFC. James McClamrock was only 22 years old when he was shot and killed by that Iraqi soldier in the Salah as-Din province of Iraq.

Another soldier, staff Sargeant Phillip C. Jenkins was also killed. They were the first soldiers killed after President Barak Obama declared an end to combat operations in Iraq on August 31.

Besides McClamrock and Jenkins, nine other U.S, soldiers were wounded.

The Iraqi soldier was said to be killed within seconds by two American soldiers.

Allied Iraqi soldiers arrived on the scene with drawn weapons. The US platoon kept them from the scene while the investigation took place, with no additional bloodshed. Though Allies, it was a reminder to always be on guard.

McClamrock had only enlisted in the army a year prior to the attack, though he had been thinking about enlisting for years. He worked as a baggage screener for the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) at Charlotte-Douglas Airport.

A Christian, he believed God was leading him to become a soldier. He’d see soldiers coming and going through the airport, keeping the idea of enlisting in his mind. He joined the army and at the time of his death was a member of the 25th Infantry Division stationed out of Hawaii.

McClamrock left behind his wife of two years Shannah, his parents the Rev. Mark & Susan McClamrock, three brothers and two sisters. It’s been more than 12 1/2 years since he was killed. Had he lived he would now be 34.

Photo byKim McKinney

Chosen for his headstone was the verse Joshua 1:9. It reads

“I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.” CEV

Don’t confuse the purpose of this Memorial Day with any other holiday. Don’t let it pass unnoticed or only be an extra day off of work. Find a significant way to remember at least one soldier lost in service to our country,

One thing is for sure - “Happy Memorial Day” should not be your greeting of the day. The lives lost are tragic.

I am spending the weekend remembering McClamrock, his family, his friends, and his fellow soldiers who were on the scene that day.

I do this exercise for me. I share this with you in hopes more will vow to never forget the lives lost.

Celebrate the fact that each lived - and that they gave their lives because they believed in our freedom. Let the memory of their deaths help you live life better and more thoughtfully.

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