I quickly realized as I was ministering to the Families, they were ministering even more to me. They proudly told me about their loved one who had served in World War II, who landed on the beaches of Normandy, who jumped into France on D-Day, who served under General Patton in Africa, who helped liberate one of the concentration camps in Europe, who was a prisoner of war for two years, and the list goes on and on. I was praying over Soldiers who participated in events that I had only read about in history books. History came alive for me as I honored and prayed for them at their funerals.

I also had the privilege of hearing some incredible stories. Often I would hear how dad lied about his age and entered the Army at 16 or 17 years of age. I even heard about one father who entered the Army at 15 years of age. All of them did this because their nation was at war and they wanted to serve. True patriots.

Time after time I heard about acts of heroism. One gentleman saw a grenade thrown his way. He wanted to protect the men around him so he took off his helmet and covered the grenade. He protected everyone around him but carried shrapnel in his body for the rest of his life. Or another time I heard of how someone’s dad was wounded fives times during the war but each time kept coming back from the hospital to rejoin his unit.

Another time a proud mother told me about her young son who died from an IED in Iraq. She was not bitter at the loss but proud of her son. You see, her son had always wanted to be a Soldier but was overweight. The recruiters told him he would have to lose 98 lbs if he wanted to be a Soldier. He lost the weight and did it in six months. He wanted to be a Soldier and serve his country. True patriots, all of them.

One time I was reviewing with a daughter the awards that her father had received when he was a Soldier during World War II, and she was shocked when I told her of her father’s Silver Star. She asked me if I had mixed up the records because she had no knowledge of this. Her father never talked about it. Then a friend who served with her father stepped forward and told the daughter how her father earned that Silver Star.

What I learned in my time as a chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery is that all servicemembers have a story that makes them a patriot.

Look around you and notice those on active duty and the veterans that served. Each one of them is a patriot because of their service, but also because I am confident that there is something special about their service that you may not know. Take the time to get to know them and appreciate them. There are heroes among us.