North Country Times - Memorial Day 2011: Be Glad Such Heroes Have Lived

Op-Ed

Just a few miles from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., is Arlington National Cemetery, a green hillside where thousands of fallen heroes rest.

In San Diego, heroes from as far back as the 1846 Battle of San Pasqual and as recent as Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom lie interred at Fort Rosecrans and Miramar.

To the northeast, they are buried in Riverside National Cemetery.

And in places throughout the world where they battled tyranny ---- from the cliffs overlooking the beaches of Normandy to the Tunisian grounds of Carthage ---- they lie revered.

This Memorial Day, it is fitting to contemplate these hallowed sites. To count each marker is to begin to grasp what freedom is worth. It is bought by the blood of patriots who willingly gave the last full measure of their devotion to liberty.

We honor these men and women today ---- troops from every generation, every branch of service, every war and conflict ---- who served and paid with their lives. We tell their stories, too, like that of Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment which lost 25 "Dark Horse" troops over the course of a seven-month deployment battling and eradicating the Taliban from a stronghold in Afghanistan. Because of their sacrifice, there are now open schools and a thriving marketplace where terrorist flags once flew.

There are also the stories of America's Medal of Honor recipients. Their number includes Coast Guard Signalman First Class Douglas Munro whose last words, "Did they get off?" were for the Marines he was evacuating from attack on Guadalcanal in 1942. There is Air Force Capt. John Walmsley Jr. who flew his plane ---- munitions expended and lights on ---- through a barrage of enemy antiaircraft fire in the darkness of a Korean night to guide other pilots toward a top-priority target on the ground. And we should remember Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar P. Austin, who completely disregarded his own safety and left the cover of his fighting hole to save an injured Marine by jumping in the way of a grenade and gunfire in Vietnam.

There's Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Christopher Monti who gave his life running through machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenade attacks trying to save a wounded soldier when his patrol group of 16 was attacked by more than 50 Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

And California's own Navy SEAL Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, who smothered a grenade with his body to save other SEALs and Iraqi soldiers from injury and death in 2006. Today, Monsoor lies at rest at San Diego's Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

All across America, in small church cemeteries and large memorial parks, our nation's finest men and women are remembered by we who remain free because of their service.

At one of Camp Pendleton's Marine Corps events this past November, the oldest and youngest Marines present came forward, as is tradition, to share the first slice of cake. The oldest was a Marine in his fifties. The youngest was born in 1992. Think about that.

Eighteen-year-olds like this young Marine volunteer to follow in the footsteps of our nation's greatest heroes. They join knowing full well the price that may be asked of them. They join because our national ideals are worth defending, and our way of life is worth protecting for generations to come.

With the number of military families and bases in our region, it is true that freedom has exacted a great price from our communities. And to many, Memorial Day may seem anchored in these significant losses. Army Gen. George Patton once asked the Almighty for strength not to mourn those who have died fighting, but rather to "... be glad that such heroes have lived."

That challenge is ours too. This Memorial Day, we celebrate the lives that have safeguarded freedom for us and our children. We memorialize them by telling their stories and by faithfully supporting their comrades in arms who protect us still and serve as guardians of the rich history of our fallen.

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