REMEMBERING...

                                           Frank J. Montoya, Memorial Day, 2002 

   On this Memorial Day we pause to reflect,  to remember and to pay homage to those valiant
souls who made the final sacrifice, those who heeded Liberty’s call intime of need and who
went forth in defense of Freedom. We remember those who served on the Western Front, in the 
hedgerows and in the trenches of the First World War, and who now rest in peace in Flanders
Field.   We remember the tens of thousands who did not return from the hot and dusty deserts of
Northern Africa, the muddy roads of Southern Italy, the beaches of France, the frozen mountains
and timbered groves of  Austria, Belgium and Germany, and from the myriad islands and steaming 
jungles of the South Pacific as they confronted our country’s enemies on land, in the air and
on the seas during the Second World War. We remember the grieving Wives and Mothers who tear-
fully placed Gold Stars in thewindows of so many homes in cities, towns and villages throughout
our country as they mourned for Fathers, Sons and Husbands who, at their country’s call, left
home, family and all they held dear and, tragically, did not return. We remember the unsung 
heroes of  the “Forgotton War” in Korea and of our most unpopular war, in Vietnam who served 
proudly for causes that were largely misunderstood and who were,sadly, maligned and subjected
to abuse, both here at home and abroad. We remember those who served and bravely died in our
efforts to promote and keep the peace in a number of foreign countries including Lebanon, 
Somalia, Kuwait and Yemen, just to name a few. We remember our latest heroes, those newly 
fallen in Afghanistan and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as we resort to a different
kind of war; a conflict that knows no fronts or bounds, waged by an enemy that has no regard 
for innocent human life; that despises our“Western Ways” and for reasons we find difficult to
 understand, is fanatically committed  to destroying our very existence.   We remember the 
Prisoners of War, confined in cages, pits and bamboo huts, starved, debased, degraded and 
tormented, both in body and in mind.  Their strength and courage reflect the American Spirit.
   We remember the thousands whose fate is still unknown, who have been officially declared 
as Missing in Action.  We must make every effort possible to account for them and to determine
 their final destiny.  We remember  all who served and, thankfully, are still among us. 
Although their numbers rapidly dwindle to a precious few, they stand proudly beside us as 
vibrant, living monuments  to remind us of crises past,  of  countless battles fought and won
 during those terrible times of adversity.    We remember and honor each and every one who 
served, who fought and who died that we might live in a Free Democracy without constraint, 
without hindrance, and without fear of bondage or subservience.    We must never forget
 their glorious legacy:   Freedom is not free.  They paid the price to give us Liberty.