A resident of Allen County, Brenda is an adult student in the registered nursing program at Bowling Green Technical College. On this Fourth of July, she pays tribute to those who gave their lives in a variety of wars.

The King James Version of the Bible states in John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

And Matthew 24:6 states, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars”….

Beginning with a time right after Adam and Eve, and before Christ himself, and continuing even after Him, a mind-staggering number of other sons have made that same ultimate sacrifice. They, too, have given their lives. Today I would like to pay tribute to those victims, the casualties of all wars.

I will give a brief account of the when, where, why, and how many casualties of war.

First, I will begin with the when.

The first battle began when Cain slew Abel and continued with the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Wars have been almost constant throughout the world for centuries resulting in countless casualties. There has been enough bloodshed, that it amazes me that we do not truly have a “Sea of Red,” It began with the Children of Israel fleeing Egypt and continues today with the Children of Iraq.

Next I will move on to the where.

Over the ages, these wars have raged from Atlanta to Auschwitz to Afghanistan, and from Goshen to Gettysburg to the Gaza Strip. The list grows to include Israel, Iwo Jima, and Iraq along with Nashville, Nagasaki, and Normandy. We must never forget Saigon, Seoul, or Shiloh; the Trail of Tears, Tripoli or the Twin-Towers. The list goes on.

Since Columbus discovered America in 1492, many wars have been fought here on American soil. Beginning with the Revolutionary War and continuing through the Alamo, the Indian Wars and the great Civil War, to the most recent attack from terrorists on our great nation.

The current war, now to be called “Operation New Dawn” in September, according to ABC News, also includes many casualties. Those lists of casualties have now grown to not only include our sons, but also our daughters.

Last, I will discuss the why and how many.

Throughout history, most wars have been fought in the name of freedom; the same freedom that you and I enjoy today; a freedom from bondage, a freedom to worship, a freedom to an education, and a freedom to be who we want to be.

The exact number of casualties of war is actually unknown. But using as many records collected as possible, statistics show that approximately 618,000 people died during the Civil War and an estimated 50-70 million people were killed during World War II.

Those totals include countless innocent victims, from the millions of soldiers, to the 6 million Jews, to the endless number of local citizens lost in the wars.

The best guesses of the next World War have casualties listed as being close to 100 million people, if not completely destroying the entire population of the world.

History well remembers Abel, Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler; Sodom and Gomorrah, Sherman, and Saddam Hussein, but soon fails to remember the name of the son or daughter wjp lived next door, the one who died in a past or a recent war.

Now let’s review the when, where, why, and how many.

War began soon after Adam and Eve and continues still today. It has been fought in about every location around the world. Most wars have been fought for freedom, freedom of one kind or another. The casualties of war are innumerable.

Today, I would like to honor the casualties of all wars, the unsung heroes and heroines of those wars, those that were there by mere chance or from pure circumstance. Whether they were fighting to attain freedom from an unjust ruler or fighting to remain free from an unjustifiable way of life, none of them have died in vain.

In closing, I would like to offer a special tribute to those casualties of war whose bodies were never brought home, those never found, those missing in action, those lost at sea, or those lying somewhere around the world in a shallow unmarked grave. All of these men and women are the true heroes and heroines. Again they, too, gave the ultimate sacrifice; they gave their very lives.

Their whereabouts, known only to God above, brings the death of not only our sons, but also our daughters, full-circle. With John 3:16 etched in our hearts, my hope is today that these casualties of war have not merely perished, but that their souls are now reveling in the everlasting life promised on Calvary that day long, long ago.

I would like to finish with a point for you to ponder upon. We may not have a “Sea of Red” but who really knows where all that blood went. The very blood shed throughout the history of mankind, all that blood that has slowly seeped into the earth or sea across the ages. Is it not the least bit possible that the blood lost from all the casualties of war could very well be that crude, thick black liquid that nations throughout the world depend upon today? That rich, black-gold called OIL.