The Wall that Heals arrives
I was speaking with students at CHS this morning and having taken the day off from work, I had the opportunity to visit the memorial wall site. It was really memorable and I think this whole idea of Ralph Zingarella's is fantastic and timely.
Please visit the memorial this weekend. If you do, you'll see that students created collages for each of the 614 CT soldiers who died in Vietnam. And those collages are hung in a tent at Bartlem Park... one of the tougher moments for me was when I was speaking with a Southwick resident... her brother (Freeman) was commemorated in one of the collages.
Besides today's motorcycle escort (which numbered in the hundreds), there will be an official ceremony on Thursday night at 6:30pm. I hope you can make it.
Here's the official schedule of events.
6 comments:
Correction on the number of soldiers that gave their life during the Vietnam War - there were 612, not 614. And for the motorcycle escorts, the final count was approximately 405, plus a few more stragglers that came in at the last minute. While riding my Harley Davidson on the route from the Grand Hotel in Waterbury to the park in Cheshire, I found myself overcome with emotion. I truly cannot remember such a time when I was more proud to be an American than during that ride. Local businesses and schools along the route emptied their buildings and came to the side of the road to witness the "parade" of veterans, motorcycles and the truck that contained the wall. They were cheering, clapping waving American Flags. Many older people wearing Vietnam Veteran hats and/or shirts and were standing at the side of the road, saluting at full attention in honor of their fallen comrades. Lesson learned: Never forget those brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The freedoms that we Americans enjoy every day are the gifts from all those who lost their lives fighting for us, and we must never forget them…never.
6:48
Thank you for your service. And to my fellow citizens...support our troops around the world. We must prevail in Iraq and Afghanistan to validate the sacrifices you have made in support of our freedom and liberty here at home.
Tim...that is crazy logic...more to die in order to make sense of those who have already died?? Remember Al Quaida was not in Iraq. Saddam had no WMDs. We didn't let the UN finsih its job. We can't go around invading countries. We owe the Brave soldiers the truth and we need to bring them home.
Ask the soldiers about the "truth" to which you refer. I think my point of view is more prevelent among their ranks than yours.
Now to another point you make. Our troops are American not soldiers serving some world military order. They pledge allegience to this nation for which it stands, as do I, (whether you like it or not) not to the UN for whatever position it may take from one fleeting moment to the next.
The UN weapons inspectors is what I was referring to..are you going to discredit them? Why are we in Iraq?
to prove to Al Queda they can;t make us do another "Black Hawk Down" to us, even if the news media and the ostrich-like liberals want us to shamefully abandon out allies once again
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