TWO MILLION
FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE THOUSAND
THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE
This weekend, we take this one day out of the year, out of respect and in remembrance of all of those who died. And, that number is still growing, each day.
Some were taken into service, some volunteered.
Just think, for a moment, of leaving the life you live now, saying goodbye and walking away from that life, and entering a new life of rigorous training, of learning new ways, uncertainty, and the possibility of never returning to your home, and the lifestyle you left behind. Each of those two million plus persons, gave their lives. Chicago is gone, erased, wiped away.
I still vividly remember neighbors, patients of Dad's, friends, standing at our front door on Brown Street in Dayton, Ohio, in tears, they had been notified of the loss of a son or husband. Another GOLD star to be hung in their window. I remember walking to Emerson Junior High School, seeing a GOLD star hanging in a window, and taking a very brief moment to reflect, reverently, perhaps bow the head a little, and then head on my way. Evan way back then, I understood the significance of their loss.
Take a moment to remember this weekend .................
