Epilogue. Last chance to honor. There is a such thing as missing an opportunity. There are two kinds of missed opportunities. The first is the kind that still holds out a chance to recover.
But the second is a complete loss of the opportunity and it will never return again. The loss is final and time does not wait for us to wake up and do the right thing. History is charging on and the World War II generation is quickly slipping away into history itself. Now is the time to rise up and honor these men. It is the duty of our generation to honor the legacy of our fathers.
Some opportunities slip away forever, if not captured, with a sense of urgency. This sense of urgency has been growing in me for quite some time. When it started a few years ago, I was stunned to learn that About 1, 000 World War II veterans were dying each day. And now, in 2006, the number has nearly doubled. In only a few years, they will all be gone.
Missed opportunity is something I'm aware of in my own life. We all know the feeling. You get this sense that you need to go and see someone or write that letter or go to the hospital. The life is so busy at the time that it seems impossible to fit one more thing into the week so you ignore that gnawing undercurrent and keep the course and later you regret it. Now is the time to honor the men who died defending our country during the second world war.
As of 2006, over 75% of the men who fought in that war have already died. And many of these have a very difficult time getting around. So Many important stories lay silent in the graves of the men who never told them. So many men went to their graves without anyone either knowing or acknowledging what they did. These men saved the planet from the worldwide spread of evil fascist governments, illustrated in Hitler's death camps and the brutal murders of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians who were in the way of Japanese expansionism.
This historical moment is not one that I want to miss. Join me in honoring our fathers who fought in the Second World War. I have met many men who tell me that they watched the film League of Grateful Sons in a flood of tears of regret for the loss they feel because they did not take the time to get to know their fathers. The stories are lost and they are sorry because it's too late. Their fathers are already in the grave.
These men often end up saying to those who still have an opportunity, sons, ask your fathers. You never know when it will be too late, and you will only have regrets to show for your desire. In the same way that sons only have a limited time opportunity to honor their fathers, by asking them about their stories, fathers also have limited time to tell. Fathers, tell your children. Tell them of the great deeds of God.
Explain in detail the ways He has fed you and sustained you and cared for you and taught you in the days of your life. Open Holy Scripture and read it to your sons as a springboard for all the stories you need to tell them. If he is still alive, go back and ask your own father to tell you his story. Then get busy telling your own children the stories that will prepare them for the battles ahead.