Campy's Editorial Page
"Lest we forget..."
Updated: Tuesday, November 14th, 2000
By: Matthew Dominic McGowan
I would like to share an experience more disgusting than all the vote recounts in Florida combined.
I went to a Veteran's Day parade with my younger brother David this weekend in Cheviot. As everybody should know (I say should because I'm not sure if everyone does), Veterans Day is a day we set aside to honor everyone who served their country in both peacetime and war. This particular parade was honoring mostly WWII vets. As a veteran myself, I was truly looking forward to honoring the brave men and women for the sacrifices they made foreveryone I know and love.
When I got to the parade route, I was astonished. In fact, if it wasn't for the actual parade itself, I would have thought I missed it. I doubt if their was even 100 people along the whole mile and a half parade route. It was downright embarrassing to think that while these former soldiers were taking time out of their busy lives to reunite and remember, many couldn't find the time to get of their couch to come out and pay them tribute. The looks on some of these vets' faces when they saw the low turnout was enough to make this grown man cry.
Many people today simply do not know how good they have it. Whiny members of the current generation especially fit this bill. We think we have it so tough. We just don't know. Believe me, everyone of those brave souls marching down that street that day sure knew, though. Many of them left their families and friends, with many never returning, just so all of us could have a chance to live in a free society. Without these men and women, none of the people who were "too busy" to spend 40 minutes honoring them would have that Big Screen TV, nice home, fancy cars, or anything else which kept them form coming out this past Sunday. In fact, many of the vets here and around the country live in such poverty that they could not even afford some of these perks of freedom which so may of us take advantage of daily.
It truly makes my stomach turn to think in this city, we can (nearly) fill a football stadium on a weekly basis, yet cannot put more than 100 people along a parade route to honor this county's real heroes. If anyone with kids is reading this, I implore you, before you take your kids to meet another "spoiled" superstar athlete, take them instead to your local VFW hall, and introduce them to someone they can truly look up to.
Before I close, I would like to say to the Veteran who yelled "Thank You" to me and my brother for showing up, "THANK YOU for showing up when your country needed you." It's a shame his country couldn't do the same when he needed them!
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