“Do this in memory of me…”

Lest we forget: while a lot of people consider these days to be the unofficial start of summer, they also serve to help us as a nation remember sacrifice, and loyalty, and pride.   Almost back-to-back, there’s Memorial Day, the anniversary of D-Day (today, 6 June) and then Flag Day (14 June) and, of course, the 4th of July.  Surfing around the Internet, I stumbled on the moving image above, from Afghanistan in 2010.  The caption reads:

U.S. Army chaplain Carl Subler celebrates a Catholic Mass for soldiers on March 5, 2010 at an American small combat outpost in Sha-Wali-Kot in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. Military chaplains travel the battlefield throughout Afghanistan, providing a backbone of support for thousands of soldiers struggling with the difficulties of war and year-long deployments away from home.

It’s part of a powerful photo essay on the life of Fr. Subler and military chaplains in Afghanistan, by John Moore.  Check it out. Also, check out these great and inspiring pictures from World War II.

And give thanks to God for those who give so much for us.