"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate--we cannot consecrate--we cannot hallow--this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
President Abraham LincolnNovember 19, 1863
When Abraham Lincoln spoke those words at Gettysburg, nearly eight thousand young soldiers had recently given their lives on that battlefield to determine the fate of the Union. The President spoke of hallowed ground, consecrated with the blood of many brave men, men who gave “the last full measure of devotion” to their country, and to everything it stands for. He spoke of young soldiers sustaining a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. In the nearly one hundred and fifty years since those words were first uttered many more tens of thousands of American soldiers have given their lives for that same purpose, that liberty should not vanish from this earth. As the President said, it is far beyond our poor ability to consecrate the hallowed ground where they rest, they have done that all too well with their suffering and their blood. We today can only remember those young soldiers and their sacrifice, and we can offer a silent prayer that the Lord will look after them. They have brought us as far as they could, and now, lest their sacrifice be in vain, we the living must shoulder their burden, and continue on the path they have set before us.
On Memorial Day, take a moment from your holiday festivities to remember that this Nation's great heritage, the strength of its ideals and the freedoms we enjoy today, came at a terrible price, the blood of so many patriots. In the course of our nations 233 year history, America’s soldiers have given their lives in 85 wars and military actions. Remember those young soldiers who died for our country, and yes, remember those who are dying today on other battlefields. Be proud of them, and be thankful for what they have done for us. And you might also offer a prayer of thanks that this nation can produce young people like these, brave and dedicated young people who will lay down their lives in the name of liberty and freedom, so that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not vanish into the night. It is only fitting that we should honor the sacrifice of our departed soldiers by dedicating our lives to the ideals for which they fought and died, that tyranny shall not prevail over this land.
I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty tough old buzzard, but somehow I choke up and shed a silent tear whenever I hear Taps being played. I’ll bow my head to hide that tear, and yes, to pay respect as well, to those who are no longer with us. Like most old soldiers, I remember far too many young soldiers who gave up their hopes, their dreams, their futures, that this nation should continue to be the land of the free. We should all keep in mind that while Memorial Day is a fine day for parades, speeches, and ceremonies honoring our departed warriors, everyday should be a day to remember them.
I’ll be at Grangeville’s Memorial Day ceremony at Prairie View Cemetery on Monday, May 26th. Please, join me there in paying tribute to that long and tattered line of American heroes.
Who...?
Howdy! I'm Robert "Bob" Fogarty, your friendly Central Idaho backwoods redneck rabble rouser. On the personal front, I'm well over 60 years old, an ex-soldier (Cold War and Vietnam), and a recently retired career firefighter. I'm married, stand 5'10" and tip the scales at about 160 when in fighting trim. I smoke cigars, prefer Irish whiskey when I can afford it, and drive a thirty year old pick-up truck whenever I can coax it into running. A few of my "pet peeves" are hard core environuts (with the emphasis on the "nuts" part), left wing bleeding heart liberals, opinionated people (unless they agree with me), politically minded lawyers, and government bureaucracy. Generally I get along fine with individuals, but I also think that humanity as a group is probably the dumbest bunch of sheeple ever to come down the pike.
With my political interests, I suspect that everybody in the alphabet soup of government agencies considers me to be a threat of some sort or other, and they've probably got me on all kinds of watch lists. That's OK, I don't particularly like them either, and I really do think the government has gone totally nuts. Most of my writing is published in a local paper as a Op-Ed column. Our publisher lets me write about whatever strikes my fancy at the moment, then she's brave enough to print it.
If you don't particularly care for my opinion, ignore me and I'll happily ignore you. If 'ya like my stuff however, that's wonderful, and compliments are always accepted with gentlemanly grace.
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