A Halloween twist Published Oct. 23, 2010 By Chaplain (Maj.) Craig Abee 315th Airlift Wing JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. -- How do you define a saint? A Christian who has gone to heaven. A Christian, living or dead. A person of any faith who lives a life of holiness. A person who lives for others. A person whose life and/or death is marked by service to others. We might find it hard to agree on how to define a saint, but most of us know them when we see them. Halloween is just around the corner. Halloween is so named for the day before All Saints Day, on the Christian calendar. All Saints Day has also gone by the name All Hallows Day, a day set aside for honoring and giving respect and thanks for those who have died. All Hallows Eve, the evening before, became Halloween. In many ways our modern day Halloween has returned to its Roman festival roots. At least it feels a lot like Lemuria, the Roman festival to appease or expel the evil spirits of the dead. It also does not feel like the Celtic day of Samhan, a time to honor those who are deceased, but maybe it could. No matter how you define a saint, who would argue if you called those who have given their lives in defense of country, saints. Who, no matter what your faith is - or even if you do not participate in a "religion", could argue that those who lay down their life for others are, saints. I know we already have a day for remembering those who have given their life in service to our country. However, who could argue if we added another day, knowing how great the sacrifice that was made. Somewhere in the midst of your Halloween enjoyment, take a moment and remember those saints who make the wars and battlefields of our nation hallowed - with their lives. Freedom is never free.