A Memorial Day Reflection
Memorial Day is not simply a patriotic holiday. It is not a long weekend, a kickoff to summer, or even just a time to thank those who served. Memorial Day is sacred space. It is the day we remember those who answered the call and never came home—the ones who followed all the way to the end.
In the 7 Types of Followership framework, we call this rarest of followers the Mission Magnet. They are not swayed by personal gain or recognition. They don't follow out of fear or obligation. Instead, they are drawn—magnetically—toward something far greater than themselves. Whether it's a compelling leader, a righteous cause, or a divine call, Mission Magnets live and die with one purpose: to serve the mission, whatever the cost.
These are the ones we remember on Memorial Day.
The Beauty in the Battlefield
General George S. Patton once said:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse."
Yes, war is ugly. It reveals the darkest corners of human depravity. But within that darkness, there is also beauty—radiant, sacrificial, eternal beauty.
You see it when a soldier shields a comrade with their body.
You hear it in a final radio call, spoken not in fear, but in resolve.
You feel it in the letter left behind, full of love and purpose, never bitterness.
Where can you find beauty on the battlefield, where we see the worst of humanity?
Right there—in those who are at their best. In those who choose to live, fight, and even die for someone or something greater than themselves.
That is the highest form of followership. That is the Mission Magnet.
Drawn to the Mission
Mission Magnets don't need constant direction. They don't need cheering on. They don't chase rewards. They simply move. Like iron to a lodestone, they are drawn toward the heart of the mission. They know what matters. They know whom they serve. And they know the price.
They are not reckless. They are resolute.
Their strength is not just in courage but in clarity. They understand that life is not measured by its length but by its offering, and they are willing to offer all.
A Legacy Worth Living
The greatest tragedy of Memorial Day would be to reduce it to nostalgia or sentimentality. The lives we honor this Memorial Day were not lost—they were given. And that gift demands a response.
How do we honor the Mission Magnets?
By living lives of mission ourselves.
By refusing to be casual about what they were consumed by.
By following, serving, and sacrificing with the same unwavering devotion.
We may not wear the uniform. We may not see the frontlines. But each of us has a call to follow—a mission worth giving our best. The battlefield may look different, but the cost of courage, honor, and service remains the same.
Follow All the Way Home
Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
The Mission Magnets did just that. They followed all the way Home. Their lives—some barely begun—poured out in complete devotion to others. To freedom. To faith. To future generations.
This Memorial Day, let us not only remember their sacrifice but also realign ourselves with their purpose. Let us be drawn, like they were, toward the mission that matters most.
Because the highest form of leadership may be glamorous. But the highest form of followership?
It's glorious.
