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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Remember those who died for us
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I hope that everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. There is a long gap between Christmas and May, and it’s refreshing to give the brain an extra day to recuperate.
One thing that I like to do when I drive through Duluth on holidays like this is to look at the crosses that the city posts along the roads bearing the names of servicemen and servicewomen who died during various conflicts: World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm.
When I was going to a rehab facility during my recuperation from my stroke, I would look at the crosses that lined the roads during Veterans Day. I would read their names, noting the similarities and some of their last names. Were they brothers? Father and son? I did not recognize the names, but I thought to myself that these were people whose lives touched others, whose parents, whose spouses, whose children were forever impacted by their sacrifice. I was reminded that these people whom I did not know fought and died so that I, and others, could enjoy something greater than a three-day weekend.
It’s easy for us to think about picnics, cookouts, the deadlines of our jobs and the everyday things that seem to make up our lives. The crosses along the side of the road remind us that life isn’t easy, but people died so that we can live on and prosper. The three-day weekends are for the living, but it’s important to remember why that we have those weekends to begin with. We have them because others died to make sure that we could.
Say what you want about Duluth. Talk about the traffic, the continuous additions of strip malls and apartments and houses that replaced the trees dotting the countryside. But think about how this city remembers those who gave their lives so that we could live on in freedom to talk about traffic and strip malls. Remember those who gave their lives, and remember those family members who survive to share their experiences. And, think about a city that will not let us forget how important freedom is.
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