Memorial Day is often seen as a day of remembrance for those who died in military service. But for many of us, it’s also a day where memory expands—when we honor legacy, service, and connection across generations. One of my hobbies is genealogy, something that’s connected me not just to the past, but it also has connected me to living family members I didn’t know well before. This journey started with my grandmother’s Bible and the family tree that was discovered inside of it.

My grandmother's family tree sparked many questions—and many new relationships. One of those relationships is with my first cousin Gary, who’s 13 years older than I am. During a conversation with him, I mentioned to him how the family tree discovered in my grandmother's bible began my quest to discover more about family history. He said, "Hey hold on a minute." He then pulled out a Bible that his father had bequeathed to him.

Gary, who passed away just last August, wasn’t the most religious guy, so he hadn’t spent his days reading the bible that had been passed on to him by his father. But to Gary’s surprise, he learned that my uncle Carleton Sutherland (his father, my uncle) had carried this Bible throughout World War II and had documented his World War II experience.

For the first time, Gary read inscriptions from grandfather, Benjamin Sutherland that were written before his son Carleton went off to war. It read:

“Presented to CM Sutherland (Civilian) on 17 of Sept 1942, By his father. Carried thru World War 2.”

Clearly my grandfather gifted the bible to Carleton to bless his son’s journey in the Pacific.

Then Gary read a list documented in his Dad’s bible, many of which are key chapters in WWII history:

This list read:

San Diego, California (training base)

Quantico, VA – Marine Corp Base

Hollandia (Battle of Hollandia)

Biak (Battle of Biak)

Morotai (Battle of Morotai)

Zamboanga (Capture of Zamboanga/ Sulu at the Battle of Mindaneo)

Manilla (Battle of Manila)

Eniwetok (Battle of Eniwetok)

Guam (Second battle of Guam)

Peleliu (Battle of Peleiu)

Wake Island (Mostly likely a patrol near the end of the war)

Midway

Oahu (naval base Oahu )

HOME

The inside cover of the Bible read, “With my blessings to the best boy and pal a man ever had – your father.”

It was as if we were touching time. This act of my grandfather writing a blessing, my uncle carrying that book across battlefields, and my cousin discovering it decades later and then sharing it with me was a thread of love and resilience carried through war, through generations.

In Eastern philosophy, it is said that we are not separate; we are interconnected. Carleton carried the hopes and love of his father into the chaos of war. And in a very real way, I carry that same thread. So do you. Every breath and action we take today is stitched with the lives and sacrifices of others, some known, many unknown.

There is another part of the story. My husband’s grandparents were journalists in World War II and his mother, my mother-in- law, Karen Hinkley was born in the Philippines in a POW camp (Los Banos) in Manilla in 1945. Her birth certificate was signed by Douglas McArthur. She was just 3 months old when Manilla was liberated by my uncle Carleton and his fellow Marine soldiers. How is that for interconnection?