Memorial Day is more than just a day off.

On Monday, we will gather to pay homage to America’s finest who gave their lives in defense of freedom.

Our friend and fellow veteran Bill Dukes of Chapin reminds us that we honor those who gave what Abraham Lincoln called the “last full measure of devotion.” John 15:13 tells us:

John 15:13 tells us: There is no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends...

Every Memorial Day, we are reminded of these selfless individuals lost to us yet we enjoy their great gift – our freedom.

World War II veteran Murray Price survived 40 missions in the Pacific and is the lone survivor of his crew

Can you imagine what it was like to fly 40 World War II missions over enemy territory in the Pacific?

To hear the flak hitting your B-24 bomber’s fuselage and a few bursting through like a sledge hammer?

To see your pilot so crippled by fear that he would never fly again and you had to take his place as pilot and bring your crew back alive?

Lexington native Murray Price did it and lived to tell about it. Many friends didn’t.

Today he says he tells his story – their story – to honor these brave men, most of them no older than 25.

Murray recalls vividly being with his future wife Frances Addy when they heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor

With other young men, he took the air cadet exam at Fort Jackson. He and another young man were the only ones to pass.

He was assigned as copilot of a B-24 bomber crew. The 10 men were from 10 states, 3 religion and diverse backgrounds but they came together and developed affection for each other.

It was an experience for a young man from a small SC town who had never been south of Charleston.

The crew named their bomber the “Complete Miss” – a wish that enemy fire would miss them.

No such wishes are granted in war. They were hit on 15 consecutive missions but Murray lost none of his men.

Between missions, the bomber crews told each other stories of home.

The next day their squadron was attacked by Japanese Zeros and the bomber on their right went down. The plane with 10 of their friends crashed into the sea.

Returning from the mission, Murray said he felt an unexpected sense of peace.

“It was the most beautiful feeling,” he said, “I felt like I was in the presence of God. I remember thinking I felt like God was with us.”

Their 1st 30 missions covered the brutal island fighting in the Pacific – Truk, Marcus, the Bonins, Iwo Jima and Chi Chi Jima, where future President George HW Bush was shot down.

Their waist gunner was so frightened that he told Murray he could not fly again.

Before their next mission, the gunner found the grave of a Marine friend.

He prayed at the grave, left his prayer beads on his friend’s cross and committed to the next mission.

The radio operator would become so gripped by fear before missions that he would throw up.

Before the Iowa Jima invasion, they flew 800 miles with P-38 camera planes, the last 100 miles just above the water to avoid radar.

On another white-knuckle run over Iwo Jima, they ran into enemy fighters. They were leading a squadron of 12 B-24s when the Zeroes knocked out control cables.

They plunged almost 8,000 feet before the pilots regained control. Their engineer used wire from bomb safety fuses to repair their cables to re turn safely.

After the war, Murray and Frances wee married. He joined PYA Monarch as a food salesman because, he likes to say, the sales men wore the best clothes and drove the best cars. He was so good at it that he rose to CEO of the company.

Those who survive the horrors of combat create a special bond. They never forget each other.

To this day, almost 76 years after World War II ended in 1945, Murray Price remembers each man who served with him on 40 B-24 bombing missions. All are now gone. He is the lone survivor.