A young gentleman from my hometown was killed in Iraq on Oct. 27th. He was a 1st Leiutenant and a graduate of West Point. I had the necessity to be in town, passing the cemetery as the graveside services were being held. There was a very large turnout, as he was well known and respected in the area.
The streets along the route of the funeral procession were lined with American Flags. Shops closed and students were let out of school to pay tribute as the procession passed by (the cemetery is adjacent to the elemetary and middle school). There were rumours that protestors were supposed to arrive to demonstrate at the funeral, but if they did they were swallowed up by the crowd that came to pay their respects.
There is no politics in this message. I did not know nor do I care what the politics of this young man were, how he felt about the justifciations of the war, or what he thought of the manner in which it is being waged. I care only that he answered his country's call to duty. His hometown and his unit mourn his loss. Our country is made stronger because men like him are willing to serve, even unto death, for that which we hold dear.
My prayers are with him, his family, and his loved ones.
V/R
Shapley