FIRST VICE | PAUL MCNAMARA

Comrade Legionnaires,

As I write this article, Memorial Day is right around the corner. As a veteran like you, Memorial Day is special to me. It makes me think of the Comrades I have known and who are now gone. And it is not just those killed in combat, but also those who we’ve lost in accidents, or through disease or age. I remember my association with these veterans who were also my friends. I think of them and the experiences we shared. The truth is I miss them. They were good people, good Americans, good friends. I feel blessed to have known them, and share a part of my journey through life with them.

I also always wonder; how do we honor them? Whether they were combat heroes, or gave their life in a tragic accident, or succumbed to a disease due to exposure, they all shared a love of our country and were willing to sacrifice for it. We felt and still feel that same love of our country. So, what is our obligation in honoring them. While I’ve wrestled with that question, I think the answer is summed up in the American Legion Preamble. I think my friends who have passed would want me to honor them by being faithful to the tenants of that preamble. We recite it at every meeting but do we really read the words. These are powerful phrases - To … defend the Constitution … to inculcate a sense of individual obligation …to promote peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; …

Next time you read our Preamble, I would ask you to take a moment and think through what it says. I think those who are gone would smile knowing someone still cares about something they loved.

See you at the Post.