Heroes honored during somber ceremony

Resslin' Around by Casey Ressler

"Hello, Marine."

"Hello, Brother."

-- greeting overheard at the Veterans' Wall of Honor

Military bases around the country and abroad are buzzing with action as soldiers, airmen and sailors get deployment orders. America's military is poised to strike in what is shaping up as not only a war against terrorism, but a war defending freedom.

As each and every one of the soldiers headed to destinations unknown pack their bags, they should take with them the honor, courage and determination of four men.

Friday afternoon, Valley verans Bill Plate, Larry Laurence, Walt Fergus and vacationing Paul Wilson from the Lower 48 were honored on Alaska POW/MIA Day. In a ceremony at the Veterans' Wall of Honor, the four former prisoners of war were honored for their service to our country.

The ceremony was moving, poignant and somber, as fellow veterans and patriotic Americans took time from their day to pay tribute to the people who have protected their freedom in the past.

As people stood silent during the ceremony, unspoken thoughts undoubtedly turned to the current situation facing our nation. Many veterans were in the crowd, and they know the feeling of war firsthand.

They served their country admirably, and can hold their heads high and revel in the freedom they helped provide a nation. In days and weeks to come, the number of veterans in the country will increase as a new generation goes to war, and that thought was in the minds of many.

The veterans and former prisoners of war at the ceremony Friday are the heroes of America's past, and the young men and women going off to combat terrorism are the heroes of America's future.

While we honor the heroes of the past, we must also recognize the future, and it is a future that is much different than one we thought of just weeks ago.

The smiles of the honored men at Friday's ceremony were big, but they also showed an innocence lost during their times as prisoners of war. Through time, that innocence returned as the next generation of Americans enjoyed a war-free life.

Until Sept. 11, 2001, that is.

There are nervous parents of young enlisted military personnel, wondering if their sons or daughters will be shipping out to fight a new war, one with a faceless enemy. Their sons and daughters are prepared, and now it is their time to make America proud.

They will do it, too, just like their parents did in Vietnam and their grandparents did before them in World War II.

Laurence, Plate, Fergus and Wilson know what it takes to be heroes. They were honored for it Friday.

They also know another set of heroes is about to leave its mark on the world.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Frontiersman Valley Life editor.