Remember them
It was a text.
Out of the blue
“Can we get the names of the fallen from Anderson County?”
Simple question.
“Yes.”
The answer …
I was told by a friend of mine recently that if you do something to be proud of — any task you have undertaken — take ownership of it.
You don’t brag. That’s childish.
But take ownership of it — especially for the good things.
I’ll get back to this later.
The front page of this edition of The Courier News is important.
It is more important than anything in your life right now.
It is more important than any budget concern in this county.
It is more important than what kind of car you drive.
It is more important than your education, income, or social standing.
Whether you are poor, struggling to get by, rich beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, or homeless.
If you’re on the top of the mountain, good for you.
If you’re struggling to find the path to the mountain — this is the country to find that path.
Those names on the front page of this edition of The Courier News?
Remember them.
You can strive to be what you want to be in this country because of those names.
So, take a minute and ask yourself, “What would they have been?”
The answer doesn’t have to be something grandiose: Artist. Musician. Author. Prophet. Famous actor.
Because the answer is probably more like: Father. Husband. Brother. Friend. Citizen.
Son.
That is what these names represent.
Heroes?
Oh yeah ...
They represent the best of all of us, the best of what we should be.
Husband. Brother. Friend. Citizen.
Son.
It was a text.
“Do you think it would be appropriate to list those names on the front page of the paper?”
If done correctly, yes.
Anderson County Veterans Service Officer, Leon Jaquet, was instrumental.
A dear friend of mind, Ed Williamson, is an old Navy salt. While Mr. Jaquet and I have never taken a baseball road trip together, he reminds me of Ed — an old Navy salt that could put your a** on the ground at any minute.
My family runs deep with old Army and ex-Marine (no such thing as an ‘ex” Marine is there uncle Steve?) guys.
There are some Air Force and Navy, too.
All I’m going to say is that I would not mess with any of them.
Point is, Memorial Day means something to me. It should “mean something” to every single person taking a breath of air in the United States of America.
I know ... so patriotic cliche, right?
You know what? It’s still true.
You want heroes? Walk out on the front lawn of the Anderson County Courthouse.
Those are the heroes.
Those names?
Put it this way … They paid the price for you to ignore them.
Those old Navy salts, the Marines, Army, Air Force personnel … Well, they’ll just say, “You’re welcome.”
It was a text.
“I want to do this right.”
How do you honor these people?
I mean, what else can we do?
Monuments, highways, bridges, parks, statues? What does that mean?
Nothing expresses what their sacrifice means to this nation.
There is nothing you can do.
I promise you, none of those names on the monument on the front lawn of the Anderson County Courthose thought, “Boy, love to have my name on a monument on the Anderson Courthouse lawn.”
But they answered the call.
Remember them.
It was a text.
“I think we should honor them.”
I hope we did.
And Tony Cox …
Nice, man … Very nice. You own it.