My great uncle died in France in 1917 when a German shell exploded near him and the concussion killed him, leaving him unmarked, but dead nevertheless. He was a very bright, family hero and his loss was and still is lamented. He bravely acted as his commander's runner and carried messages to scattered units, many times while under fire. His home town has honored his memory with a memorial monument along with the others who lost their lives in battle in WW I.
Last week I noticed a new memorial in front of City Hall in my wife's home town. Listed on an impressive brass plate are dozens of names of those citizens who died in WW I, WWII, Viet Nam, Korea and Desert Storm. I was amazed and very touched that such a small town of about 20K had contributed so many heros to the cause of freedom.
It's because of the sacrifices made by your great uncle as well as innumerable others that we are now able to exchange information peacefully on the internet, own our very own computers and do pretty much what we like. Without him and so very many others like him, we would now be saluting Der Fuhrer or bowing to a Japanese imperial Emperor, be living in constant fear that another of our relatives will be executed in our town's main street 'to set an example' and worrying whether we will be able to obtain a ration of sauerkraut and turnips or old, raw, wormy fish today.
We owe EVERYTHING to our Vets and I'm delighted that your wife's town has placed such a fitting tribute to them.
My great hope is that the innumerable sacrifices of all of our Veterans will never be forgotten, but modern events frequently cause me concern. Occasionally, however, there is a bit of news that brings me hope that efforts are being made in the right direction.
(New York) City teachers to attend Marine boot camp in South Carolina