You may notice, that in the course of my blogging, a lot of what I write about, is prompting you, the three
poor souls that read my blog to remember. And not to remember very nice things I might add, but to
remember things like D-Day, The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, Valley Forge, and 9/11, moments
and people in history that were horrific to be in, and sobering to recall.
And I thought that you might be wondering why it was, that I would ask you, on so many occasions, to
pause and think about young men charging into hell, for you and me, and to remember those for whom that
was their final act.
To be honest, it was hard for me to contemplate explaining in words, for me it just seems the natural thing to do.
To remember and do my best to honor the memory of those who gave up their lives so that we could live in a free nation.
But the simplest explanation I can give you is this,
I want every man woman and child who are citizens of this nation, to sense the same value woven into
the very fabric of our country that I do. So that when you remember a battle that cost many thousands of men
their lives, and you understand that they died so you wouldn't have to live under a tyrant's heel, so
hopefully your love of country grows and your determination that she will not go quietly into the night
swells, so that when you sing the last words of the national anthem "Oh say does that star spangled
banner yet wave, ore' the land of the free and the home of the brave?" your actually interested in the
answer to the question! I would love for every child growing up, learn of the men who died on D-Day,
and read the letters our soldiers wrote home in the Civil War, and then read of the battles in which those
men died. I want every single one of us to understand what it is we have, why we have it, and why it
matters that we keep it, not simply for the sake of the memory of those who rest in Arlington, but so
that we don't overflow those sacred grounds with heroes! When you understand what something cost,
and how difficult it is to replace, that is the true value of it, I believe that you will be less prone to squander
that which was bought for us at such great a price.
Remembering 9/11 has its own virtue, it is imperative that we remember that with something of such great
value and fragility, comes the responsibility to protect it, and that there are those who actively seek to destroy it.
So I once again ask you to remember our heroes, those who fell then and those who came home.
Today I remind you of Darrell "Shifty" Powers, Staff Sergeant, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry
Regiment (United States), 101st Airborne Division The Screaming Eagles.
Veteran of
Operation Overlord,
Operation Market Garden, The Battle of the Bulge specifically,
the siege at Bastogne, and the taking of the Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden
A Rifle For ShiftyLast month, unnoticed by the media at all, Shifty Powers went to be with the rest of his brothers in arms.
And America, lost another hero.
Darrell "Shifty" Powers
March 13, 1923 - June 17, 2009
American Hero
http://elmtreeforge.blogspot.com/2009/07/im-sorry-to-say-i-didnt-hear-of-death.html
http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2009/07/no-24-hour-tv-coverage-no-obituaries-in.htmlRemember Today, Shifty Powers and his brothers in arms, and mark well, the price of freedom.
Post a Comment