Lest we forget, 2007

"From time to time, the soil of liberty must be stained with the blood of martyrs."

– Thomas Jefferson, 1787

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"Freedom is not something to be secured in any one moment of time. We must struggle to preserve it every day. And freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

– Ronald Reagan, 1967

"I do what I do – FOR MY COUNTRY."

– An American soldier, 2007

Among the countless things about America I'm thankful for are the several days of commemoration we've engraved on our national calendar. In quieter times, when there was little or no objection from little angry, militant minority organizations, the people of the United States, with the full approval of Congress and the judicial system, created several days to express gratitude for our liberties and those who died to defend them.

For me, and millions of other citizens from every walk of life, these days have always seemed very special. And along the way, my family and I have tried to make sure we spent at least part of the holiday actually remembering and talking about – and thanking God for – the valiant young men, and many women, who have literally laid their lives on an altar defending our freedoms, our way of life, which is more blessed than any other on earth.

So it has troubled me more and more that increasing millions of us simply take the days off, have fun and frolic, and seemingly are oblivious to the expressed reason for the set aside day. Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, yes, Thanksgiving Day as well as Christmas Day, and now Martin Luther King Day, all seem to come and go with little personal reflection and commemoration.

They, for too many, are just holidays from serious thought or prayerful thanks.

May I humbly (and I mean that) share with you one of the ways I always try to make these days count?

Whenever I'm at home in Los Angeles, I take time to walk through the thousands of little white grave markers that cover the green slopes of the Veterans Cemetery over in Westwood. For an hour or more, I move up and down the endless rows of clean, engraved stones, often moved to tears as I read – out loud – the names of these patriots.

I'm not ashamed to tell you I cry as I visualize these young individuals and imagine the hopes and visions and talents and family associations, indeed the futures, each of these surrendered. For me. And you.

I never knew any of these heroes, and unless we meet in heaven, I never will. So many thousands of these were martyred as far back as World War I, and some before that. In a number of cases, wives have been eventually buried beside their husbands, at their request. I get very choked up about that as I visualize the lonely years spent apart as a wife lived on without her loved one, and the final reunion in the Veterans Cemetery.

This year, since you likely can't share this specific experience with me, I want to list just a few of the names I've written on paper, and in my heart, from those patriot markers, many bearing crosses and others the Star of David. I fervently hope you'll read these names out loud, one of the few times in many years their names have been spoken by anybody.

We surely owe them this much.

Jacob Wexler Pvt U.S. Army WWI and II
Bernard Allen Green S Sgt. U.S. Army Korea and Vietnam
Dorothy Jane Sevold ensign U.S. Navy WWII
Peter Wick California ship's cook U.S. Navy
Abram Danoff Russia PFC U.S. Army WWI
Howard Wise Connecticut PFC WWII
Max Koffman Jr Sgt U.S. Army Korean War
Henry Barthel Pvt 59th Infantry, 6th Div, and wife Elizabeth
Frank Foley Company B 1 Montana Infantry Spanish-American War
Gordon Adams Canada S Sgt. U.S. Air Force WWII
Milton Osborne PFC U.S. Army WWII

The names go on and on, Albert Lemire, Walter Baetz, Eusebio Basil and wife Dorothy, William Riopelle, Jack Albritton, George Lohman, Heime Petchnik, Elmer Amick, Harold Geurin, Henry Rosales, William Blumka … and so tragically many, many more.

Just two moving sights from this year's walk through the hallowed cemetery. One is a special monument, built by donations from liberated people from Europe and Asia, in a prominent shaded area, slightly apart from the graves. Titled "De Geest Overwint," it reads:

In dedication to the memory of members of the armed forces,

Resistance fighters, and civilians who lost their lives in the Netherlands,
E. Indies and areas of S.E. Asia during World War Two.
May they never be forgotten.
August 10, 2002

And finally, a recent lonely large stone, featuring an embedded photo, a picture of a uniformed American … with his little girl … above this inscription:

Capt. Mike MacKinnon
Commanding Officer
184th Infantry
Killed in Action
27th of October 2005 Baghdad, Iraq

I felt I had to do more than ever before. So I composed a musical tribute to our National Guard and an hour-long documentary, both the first ever. Proceeds will go to the to the Paralyzed Veterans of America organization. It's only appropriate, and I hope you'll visit www.formycountry.us to see and hear part of the tribute, which is just becoming available.

And I hope you'll find your own way to thank our heroes – for our lives and liberties, which cost them theirs.

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