Each was a bit of history
Your Ol' Editor is seriously considering joining a bus tour to attend the dedication of the World War II Memorial in May at Washington, D.C.
It's been 60 years since he volunteered for Army service as a 17-year-old who didn't shave.
The World War II Memorial has been long in coming, too long. Most of the men who served are gone and more are joining them at the rate of 1,800 a day, 65,000 a year, more than died daily during combat.
The OE's unit lost more than 1,000 killed in action and nearly 5,000 wounded.
That was a long time ago. Those who survived these 60 years now have the time and most have the money to attend. But they are limited by health from disabilities incurred during the war. It doesn't seem fair that the monument is in recognition of service that caused the reason why they can't attend.
Each man, or woman, who served represents a bit of history. An article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer said it best. "Every day a bit of history dies with the men who fought in World War II."
The author noted that, "Save for family and friends, the rest of the world pays little notice to the passing of a veteran of the Big War. Little heed is made. There are movies and marble monuments that'll last for years, but the spirit will be gone when there are no more WWII veterans."
Think of what they did, those kids raised during the dark dismal days of the Depression. They marched away, willingly, to face unknown dangers in combat. Many died. Those who came home continued to change the world. They not only fought for freedom while in uniform, they also had a gigantic impact on the future of their nation and world.
They became educated, established families, worked, paid taxes, and succeeded. They built a future which improved on the past.
Their stories all were different: Some stood watch in convoys across the ocean; some flew missions to bomb the enemy; others stormed beaches in the South Pacific; and thousands slogged their way across the mud and snow of Europe. Yet their stories are the same: they did their duty and, if they survived, built a peacetime life.
Each one was a bit of American history.
— BILL MEYER
