by Peter Panepento
To all of those who have sacrificed their lives, their bodies, and their time to serve our country I have one simple message:
Thank you.
After more than six years working as a journalist in Erie, I'm now the web editor for the Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington, D.C., and the publisher of GlobalErie.com. I still maintain close ties to Erie - a community that I care about deeply. I hope this Web site can help inspire a better future for Erie.
Heavy D
November 11th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I saw a veteran today who after fighting and spending 2 years as a POW in the Philippines during WWII was asked by General MacArthur to stay in the Philippines and retrace the Batton Death March and dig up and identify the remains of soldiers who were killed on the way. He spent 2 years doing this because the soldiers families had a right to get them back.
I don’t think most of us can even imagine what has been endured to provide us our freedom. I am an ARMY veteran ( peacetime only, no overseas deployment) and I have only the vaguest idea of how great the sacrifice is. We are all in your debt. Thank you.
bojosmom
November 12th, 2008 at 12:53 am
HeavyD- well said. Thank YOU for your service. Everyone contributes in their own way- small or large, sometimes it is all in the perspective of the people on the outside of the events,eh? It is the respect and honor of these brave men and women that is the important thing. One day each year is not nearly adequate but that’s just my view of things! Proud mother of an Airman. : )
DAT
November 12th, 2008 at 7:01 am
To my father, and his father, my uncle, my mother’s father, my brother-in-law, my nephew, my co-worker, and the countless others who have served in our country’s military service I am most deeply and humbly grateful.
Like they say, “you never know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”. Because of the courage, caring, and sacrifice of so many I hope that we never experience our lives without freedom. What are we willing to sacrifice for what they have done? What can we as individuals do to pursue freedom for others? If you give it some thought, I’m sure you can come up with something.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah Tonkin
Heavy D
November 12th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Bojosmom,
My oldest son is 10 and says he wants to join the military and i am trying to encourage that in him. I can’t imagine though how hard it is to be a parent of someone serving. Thanks for being a Blue Star Mom.