Representative Phil Roe (R-TN): "This Memorial Day, I challenge everyone to find a way to honor our nation's fallen"

I remember the moment well. It was 1971. I was 26 and living in Memphis, Tenn. I went to get the mail, like I did every day. But, this day was different because there was a letter notifying me that I had been drafted. That is why when people ask me if I volunteered to join the Army, I always say, “Yes, I volunteered. I volunteered to get the mail.”

Originally, I was ordered to go to Vietnam, but my orders changed at the last minute and I was instead sent to Camp Casey in South Korea, not too far from the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). I often think about this last-minute change and wonder if I am alive today because of it.

I served in the 2nd Infantry Division’s Army Medical Corps, and the interesting thing about the 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Medical Battalion is that it is the only Army infantry division to have been led by Marine Corps Generals, Major General John A. Lejeune and Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen. The 2nd Infantry Division is also known for their World War I victory at the Battle of Belleau Wood, which resulted in the infamous nickname for Marines, ‘Devil Dogs.’

Before Korea, I was in medical school, learning in a sterile hospital and practicing with proper medical tools. Korea was nothing like what I was used to. It turned out that practicing medicine in a war zone was a bit more like practicing medicine in Gettysburg circa 1863. We did not even have the tools to do a basic blood count, but we did, at least, have a microscope.

As I reflect on Memorial Day, I often think back to my time serving during the Vietnam era. I think about the three doctors, Dr. Tom Cherry, Dr. Mike Fichette, and Dr. John Strauss, who I worked alongside taking care of the nearly 10,000 infantrymen. I think about the lives of the two soldiers we saved who were suffering from extreme heat exhaustion after storming a hill days before Memorial Day in 1973. But mostly, I think about the fallen.

So many great men and women have died serving our country and Memorial Day is when we reflect upon, and honor, their lives and the impact of their sacrifices. Today is not about the many who serve or have served our country, but it is about the many that have given the ultimate sacrifice. It is about those that left behind their loved ones and the comforts of home, never to return. It is because of them that the revered saying, ‘land of the free, because of the brave’ is true.