Adjust Text Size
For Immediate Release
Contact: David Atkinson
717-787-6535
May 24, 2009
 

Smucker Pays Tribute To War Dead In East Prospect

There are all sorts of observances – historical, seasonal, cultural – that are part of our American tradition.  But there is no more solemn duty than that of Memorial Day, a cornerstone of our civic responsibility.  Our obligation is to remember and honor those who gave their lives defending democracy. 

Each Memorial Day, the honor roll grows longer.  Eternal vigilance being the price of liberty, as Thomas Jefferson warned, holds true today.  We have the major conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, sparked by the tragedy of 9/11.  We encounter threats elsewhere that require deployment, engagement, and action.  Not a week passes without America sustaining painful losses. 

The museums, monuments, statues, sculptures, and gravesite markers we erect are all fine tributes.  Some are physically impressive; others are emotionally moving.  But we owe those who gave their lives more.  We must, as we do today, take the time to gather, to reflect, to remember, to honor, to express gratitude, to say a prayer. 

From the time of the American Revolution, York County residents have done their share in our defense.  So I want to commend East Prospect for hosting this event and doing your part in memorializing very special individuals. 

We are living in a world of rapid change, not all of it considered progress.  National defense, national security, and armed conflict, all evolve.  There are new challenges, new strategies, new weapons.  Yet, who would have imagined that in the 21^st Century, six decades into the nuclear age, we would still be fighting terrorists in caves and pirates on the high seas? 

In our ever-changing world, the courage and commitment of those who serve is a constant.  On Memorial Day, we speak to their character and courage, their sense of duty, the ideals and the freedom for which they fought.  

It is really a cross section of America serving.  Some are just starting on life’s journey.  Others have built a life, established a career, raised a family, yet still respond to the call of our country.  In this time of economic trauma, it is easy for us to get caught up in our own troubles and difficulties.  Yet, we should always give our good wishes and prayers for those shipping overseas, and welcoming and saluting those who return. 

The losses suffered are not just statistics, the military equivalent of a bad day on the stock exchange.  There are not unknown soldiers anymore.  We know their names, we see their faces, we read their stories, we know why they serve, we find out how they died.  The hurt is felt most deeply by the families, friends, and neighbors.  But it is personal to each of us.

In our hearts, and in our minds, we go to the gravesites of America’s fallen warriors, whether here or overseas.  We are sorry for the losses, of lives cut too short, of dreams never realized.  We are grateful for the supreme sacrifices made on our behalf. 

We can look around, at our communities, at our democratic institutions, at the rule of law, at our protected freedoms, at our free enterprise system, at our way of life, and we know we have these things because of what they did. 

Recently, a local radio station asked listeners to call in with their reflections and recollections.  One woman was particularly emotional.  She had only found out what life was like for her husband from reading a book sixty years after the events took place.  He never said much about the hazards of his assignment, which was flying the hump over the Himalayas, a truly high-risk and often deadly undertaking.  In the end, she wondered if many people even remembered World War II. 

Yes, we remember.  But there is still much we have not been told, that has not been uncovered as she managed to do.  As the veterans of that conflict are dying, too many are taking their stories to the grave with them.  What they can tell us is important.  Look what we learned when many finally voiced their experiences, after the film Saving Private Ryan, or the series Band of Brothers, or the more recent Ken Burns World War II series. 

John McCain chronicled some inspiring stories in his book: "Why Courage Matters."  One was about Roy Benavidez, who was awarded a Medal of Honor under Ronald Reagan, having sustained dozens of wounds – bullets, shrapnel, bayonets – while saving eight men in Vietnam.  On that significant day, Roy’s words were incredibly poignant: "The real heroes are the ones who gave their lives for their country."  Those who served connect most deeply with the meaning of those who died. 

Yes, they are real heroes.  Today, tomorrow, and every day, we must remember their heroism and their sacrifice.  In life, they were heroic.  In death, they are forever on the frontlines of the fight for freedom.  We may take comfort that God is caring for their souls.