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THE LAST FULL MEASURE

A MEMORIAL DAY MEMORY

By Brother Patrick

Specialist (SP4) Robert G. Solomon was born on August 8, 1949. He was my mom’s younger brother and my uncle. He grew up in a red house on a tree-lined street in a factory town with his parents and three siblings. He was handsome. He was a hell raiser in high school. After graduation, he joined the United States Army.

Some of my earliest memories are of Uncle Bobby. I remember him playing with me in my grandmother’s living room. I remember him holding me, dressed in a uniform on a cold winter’s day. My uncle survived his first tour of duty in Vietnam. But on August 19, 1969, shortly after volunteering for another tour, he was killed by friendly fire. Uncle Bobby was just twenty years old. For his heroism and sacrifice, my uncle was awarded twelve medals. They included an Air Medal, Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Purple Heart.

My parents tried to shield me from the tragedy of my uncle’s death and from the long nightmare of that terrible war. But I remember our family’s grief. I remember my grandfather’s quiet tears. I remember my mother’s loud sobs in the middle of the night. I remember that sometime after my uncle’s death, a memorial was built in his hometown. I remember the day of its dedication and the broken hearts all around me.

During my lifetime, tens of thousands of American families have experienced the same overwhelming sorrow of losing a loved one to war in a place on the other side of the world. And hundreds of thousands of American families have experienced the challenge of loving a veteran who returned home wounded in body, mind, or spirit.

This Sunday, our church commemorates the Solemnity of Pentecost, the annual celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of the Risen Christ. This week, our country commemorates Memorial Day, its annual remembrance of those who served their country and gave what President Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.”

As we gather together as friends, families, and faith communities, we pray for all who died for their country. We pray for all who grieve. We wipe away tears and tend broken hearts. We pray for peace, truth, and justice in an increasingly troubled world. And we pray that the Holy Spirit will heal us and lead us into a new age of harmony and fraternity among all people in all places.

Over long years, my parents have lived in several homes in several states. Some things, however, remain constant. There are always two photographs of Uncle Bobby. In one, he is alone, in uniform, and smiling the smile of youth into the camera. In the other, he stands with my mother, grandmother, and an old family friend. He is uniform and holding me, his young nephew, who still remembers that day so long ago — before the grief, before the tears, before the last full measure of devotion.

FREEDOM’S CALL
A PRAYER FOR MEMORIAL DAY

By Susan Helene Kramer

We show our thankfulness in prayer:
This honor you deserve,
giving all for freedom’s call,
that we may live without reserve. Amen.

Art Credit: Joe Sohm – Dreamstime – 23161192

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THE ASSISI PROJECT
A FELLOWSHIP OF FRANCISCANS IN SPIRIT
INTERCESSORY PRAYER MINISTRY

Members of the Assisi Project, ranging in age from 18 to 102, pray each and every day for all who ask for our prayers. If you would like our fellowship to pray for you or your special intention, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com. In communion with Pope Leo XIV and in solidarity with people of faith and goodwill everywhere, we also pray for peace, truth, and justice. In addition, we pray for all migrants and refugees; for the courage to speak truth to power; and for the poor, the persecuted, and the unjustly imprisoned. Please join us in prayer by clicking the link below! Thank you for your prayers! May God bless you! May the Risen Lord give you peace!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. We are also dedicated to promoting a devotion to Pope Francis (1936-2025) as a patron of peace, mercy, and fraternity in our sick and suffering world.

The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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