The cost of being a soldier

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).

In 1776, Thomas Paine said: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine Patriot will, in this Crisis, shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered, yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph."

It's 236 years later and those words still ring true today for a soldier as they did for the soldiers in the American Revolution. The wars throughout America's history: the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan, and all others, in horrific ways, tried the souls of our service men and women just so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.

When I think about Memorial Day and what it costs to serve this great country I begin to see the faces of the men I served with in the Marine Corps that paid the ultimate price while serving in Iraq.

Dan Amaya was in my platoon from 2002-2003. Dan was 22 years old when he died. He and his squad were clearing out houses in search for insurgents in the Anbar province in Iraq. They came to a house where a known insurgent resided; Dan was running point and the first man in. As soon as he cleared the doorway, the insurgent with his AK-47 opened fire at the doorway. Dan was shot multiple times and one of the rounds hit Dan in the neck severing his carotid artery. Dan died in less than a minute.

Jeremiah Baro and Jared Hubbard were in basic training with me. The three of us along with several other friends were in the same infantry platoon and trained together for over eight weeks. However, Baro and Hubbard were inseparable. They had been best friends for years and even joined the Marine Corps together. Even in the Marine Corps they stuck together to serve in the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division as sniper and spotter. On Nov. 4, 2004, Jeremiah and Jared were on a foot patrol with their platoon when a hidden bomb that an Iraqi insurgent detonated hit their squad of eight Marines. Out of the entire squad, Baro and Hubbard were the only two that were killed.

On Thursday, as the nation observed Veterans Day that year, the two Marines were buried side by side in a cemetery just down the road from where they grew up. Jared had two other brothers who served in the military. During the war in Iraq, Jason Hubbard was sent home due to both his brothers Nathan and Jared (mentioned above) being killed in action.

Corporal Neil Frustaglio served in the same platoon with me while we provided security for the nuclear submarine base in Silverdale, Wash. In 2004 Neil received orders to leave Washington and serve with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment and deploy to Iraq in 2005. Neil's unit was sent to Ramadi, Iraq, which at that time was the worst place to be. During his time in Ramadi, Neil was a vehicle commander and his platoon was on their way back from an operation into the city when they were simultaneously hit with four IED's. The second explosion sent shrapnel under one of their trucks and struck Neil from the thighs down. The explosion also lit the truck and all of its diesel fuel on fire, which was spread around Neil and his fellow Marine. Both of them were badly burned and lost both of their legs. One Marine died and three others lost a limb.

Three of these men are among the 6,000+ military personnel and NATO troops who gave their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan war. However, paying the ultimate price doesn't just mean dying in battle. Today, there are thousands more that are living, who suffer physically, mentally, and spiritually because of what they have seen and experienced in battle. Many of them wish they could have died on the battlefield because the thought of dealing with their pain any longer is too much to bear. In fact, the current suicide rate in the military is the highest it has been in history.

Think about the other ways in which a soldier sacrifices. The average age of a military male is 19. He just got out of high school. The average age of a military wife is 20. She barely started college. How about the number of children the father or mother leaves behind to fend for themselves while he or she is deployed to the other side of the world? And think about the service men and women who have to retire early because their bodies can no longer handle the constant physical stress that comes with the regular rhythms of the job. Think about how much of their lives they are voluntarily sacrificing to protect the freedoms that we hold dear.

We request that you do three things today for Memorial Day.

Remember - that the freedom we have is not free. It was bought with a price. Just as the precious blood of Jesus Christ bought our spiritual freedom, the blood of the men and women who fought for our country bought our nation's freedom.

Pray - Pray that the families and friends of those who have died are comforted today and encouraged that their child, brother, sister, parent, or grandparent has not died in vain. Pray for those whose souls are lost and/or hurting to be healed by the Great Physician.

Say "Thank You" - to the family members and friends of those whose lives were sacrificed.

Seattle resident Nate Finn is the son-in-law of Greg Wetzel of Post Falls.