Never forget

To the editor:

Well, here it is, 7 December, and once again the Frontiersman couldn’t be bothered to mention Pearl Harbor.

I had hoped that after replacing their last editor, things would improve. There are a few dates we should never allow to fade from memory: Dec. 7 1941, June 6, 1944, Nov. 11, 1918, and perhaps even Nov. 9, 2001.

It is sad when you ask a young cashier at one our big stores “What national disaster happened on this day in 1941?” and you get a blank look. The same often occurs on June 6, when I ask “What major military event occurred on this day in 1944?”

Ditto for Veterans Day, which was originally Armistice Day, to celebrate the end of World War I, and later (1954) changed to Veterans Day to honor the sacrifices made by all veterans.

But we should also not forget the pain, suffering, worrying of the families of military personnel past and present.

When you are unwrapping your Christmas gifts this Christmas, or getting plowed on New Year’s Eve, stop for a minute and think of those families who are missing a husband, wife, son, or daughter, because they were KIA, or are currently deployed.

Like Winston Churchill once said, “We sleep soundly in our beds, because rough men (and tough women) stand ready to do violence on those who would harm us.”

Never forget.

R.K. Butts

1 SG Armor, Retired

Wasilla