Letter: A Memorial Day Reflection

Our family attended the American Legion Memorial Day ceremony in Van Neste Square, with the largest crowd I've ever seen. Our daughter, Madeline, was a roll call reader.

We were very impressed by the Navy Trainer Jet that flew overhead, the flag raising, the talented RHS band, which played patriotic songs, and the leadership of Bob Paoli, Ridgewood Post 53, American Legion. 

As a child, I was introduced to the television show Combat starring Vic Morrow, by our father, a Korean War vet. My siblings and I dressed in my father's uniform and played our own war games. As a parent of combat-aged children, I am impressed with Blue Star parents (children in the armed forces), who are recognized and supported by our community.

Captain Nancy Lavery, a nurse in the Army Nurse Corps, revealed a human component of Vietnam in her faith-filled story.

Jesse Canella, a 2006 RHS graduate, is a corporal in the USMC and an Iraq veteran. He spoke movingly of his experience and the reality of imminent danger while in the war zone.

There have been over 4,400 U.S. troops killed in Iraq and over 1,100 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan. The cascade of pain and suffering from the unit back to the home and family is remarkable.

The number of war dead continues to grow, and our actions must be to embrace those left behind. Honor those who served and cherish our walk in the land of the free.

Sean J. McCooe

Ridgewood