A Solemn Gift

BY DAVID W. WALKER President & CEO, Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes

Former Nebraska Governor Kay A. Orr, a Republican, was accused of playing hardball politics. Orr was not impressed. “Politics ain’t beanbag,” she said.

Orr hit upon a basic and wonderful truth of our country. On this Memorial Day we celebrate our political system which, at its core, provides for the peaceful transfer of political power on a regular schedule. We need not look far around the globe to see places where such peaceful transfers do not occur. Here, there and everywhere, vicious dictators assume power and refuse to give it up. People attempting to exercise political freedom in these countries are dealt with harshly. There is a great hunger for freedom and where it is denied, violence ensues.

Our political system determines the way we live and how our national wealth is distributed. It is not just a ritual we observe on election day. It is absolutely essential to our way of life. We have a variety of mechanisms in our political fabric designed to mitigate friction and facilitate peaceful resolution of disputes. But these days those basic mechanisms are under stress like we haven’t seen in many years.

This is a good time to pause and reconsider what we are doing. On Memorial Day we honor the countless American heroes who sacrificed their lives to sustain our political rights—the foremost being the right to peacefully change our political leadership. That is not an abstract concept in this country. It is core to our existence.

But it does not come automatically or easily. There are many vital issues that divide us and challenge the delicate fabric of our political system—issues that people feel strongly about and work hard to change. When they are unsuccessful, they are often embittered, sometimes to the point of violence. It is a constant challenge to our political leadership to allay that natural extremism that erupts among people who feel strongly about moral and political issues—which is almost all of us—when they feel they are being treated unfairly.

We all need to take stock of currents in our society that challenge our basic beliefs. For democracy to work, we have to do our part. That means, among other things, accepting and respecting the clearly expressed will of the voters even when it is not to our liking. Actually, especially when it is not to our liking. There would be no need of voting if it were merely a matter of confirming our preferences.

If you or someone you know has actual knowledge of malfeasance in the political process, you have every right—an obligation really—to step forward with your evidence and present it for public scrutiny. However, people who are motivated by nothing more that displeasure at some electoral results, have a responsibility as citizens to accept those results and exercise their basic right to work for change within

Memorial Day Observances

The Town of LEESBURG will hold its annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 29, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Loudoun County Courthouse.

The annual observance commemorates those who have lost their lives in battle, serving the United States, as well as honors the service of military men and women.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert C. Holcomb will be the keynote speaker. The West Point graduate retired from military service in 1993 after a 21-year career. His upcoming book, “Stone Tapestry: A Tour Through the West Point Cemetery and American History,” highlights the lives and accomplishments of the 165 people buried there.

The ceremony also will include the placing of wreaths at the war memorials.

There will be closures on King and Market streets in the area from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

In the event of rain, the event will take place at the Leesburg Senior Center.

A number of other Memorial Day programs are planned around Loudoun, including:

LOVETTSVILLE: The town will hold a the system.

This is the system these heroes lying beneath those headstones died to bequeath ceremony at the town’s Veteran’s Memorial in Zoldos Square at 11 a.m. Monday, May 29. The event will include songs by the Lovettsville Elementary School Chorus, a poem reading by Lovettsville American Legion Auxiliary Unit 1836 and a keynote speech by retired U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Ronny Porta.

PURCELLVILLE: The town invites residents gather at Town Hall at 11:45 a.m. Monday, May 29 for a ceremony featuring remarks by Mayor Stanley J. Milan and guest speaker U.S. Navy Commander (ret.) Mark Broshkevitch. There will be a procession to the teardrop intersection at Main Street for a wreath-laying ceremony.

ROUND HILL: The town will hold its Memorial Day program during Saturday’s Hometown Festival, starting at 10:45 a.m. at the Town Park. The ceremony will include the dedication of its new memorial pavers honoring veterans.

RINGING IN HOPE: Runners will gather early on Memorial Day at Christian Fellowship Church in Ashburn for the annual Salute to Our Troops 10K, 5K and 1-mile fun run. The event raises money for the Boulder Crest Foundation. n to us. To reject it is to dishonor them and reject our heritage. It is a solemn gift to be honored. n