A Day To Say Thank You

I, of course, have been reading Teresa Smith's interviews with the World War II veterans.

While I think everyone has a pretty good idea about World War II and how horrible a conflict it was, reading firsthand accounts really drives the point home.

I was amazed by the veterans' level of willing sacrifice.

Many of them carry lifelong scars - physical and emotional - yet you would hardly know it. Most don't really talk about it too much.

Sometimes, I got the sense that Smith had to pry to get the stories.

And what stories. From Omaha Beach to Normandy and everywhere in between.

I was so glad to have been able to chronicle these veterans' accounts of the war.

I think they are stories worth being told, worth being read and worth being recorded for posterity.

I think everybody - especially the young - should read them. Everyone should have an understanding of the sacrifice these veterans made for us.

Today marks the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

There are 4,000 gold-plated stars on the memorial. That's one star for each 100 victims of World War II.

More than 400,000 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice.

Of those 400,000, 61 were from right here in Kosciusko county. Nearly 2,500 Kosciusko County residents served.

These people fought and died for our freedom. They are directly responsible for ensuring the freedoms we enjoy today.

And right now in Iraq we have another group of soldiers fighting to preserve our freedom.

Terrorists don't want us to be free. They want us to be afraid. They want us to be worried. They want us to feel oppressed and anxious.

And don't think for a minute that terrorists have given up on striking the United States.

Frankly, I am surprised there hasn't been another terrorist attack of some sort since 9/11/2001.

But there hasn't been and I am convinced it's not because of a lack of desire among terrorists.

I believe there hasn't been another attack because government has been fairly diligent.

And, of course, if there ever is another terror attack in the U.S., the blame game will start again. And there will be investigations and nasty partisan rhetoric.

Freedom is a wonderful thing. The freedom to criticize government officials is the linchpin of democracy.

But is it just me or have politicians gone a little overboard?

It seems the rhetoric gets nastier each election cycle.

You know, sometimes I wonder what those World War II veterans think about the state of affairs in today's America.

It's all about freedom.

They fought to give Al Franken and Michael Moore the right to defame and demonize the president and his policies.

They fought to give Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity the right to pillory liberal politicians.

They fought to give the entertainment industry the right to bombard us with all manner of gore and vulgarity.

And over the years, I have noticed that those most likely to push the limits of freedom are usually among the first detractors when it comes time to defend freedom.

I don't get that.

But one thing I do get is that we owe veterans an enormous debt of gratitude.

This is Memorial Day weekend. For most of us, it's about grilling out and a day off work.

But this Memorial Day, with a World War II Memorial being dedicated in Washington and with troops in Iraq, let's really remember.

Let's remember what Memorial Day is all about.

Actually, right now, I'm feeling a little ashamed. You know in all my years I can't remember ever saying thank you to a veteran.

So going on the assumption that it's not too late, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all veterans.

Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for loving your country enough to risk your life for it.