Four years ago this March, a good man died in the cause of freedom.
Capt. Sean Grimes was killed by roadside bomb in Iraq at time when it was not certain that the United States had the will to stay the course.
For those of us who understood what was at stake, it was clear that we had a moral imperative to stick things out. It was also clear that we had the means to win so long as we kept the will. In the years since, we have been vindicated. If the war is lost, it will largely be the fault of the Iraqis themselves. We have done our best.
It is a beautiful day here in Michigan. The sun in shining and the air is cool and refreshing. It is a great day for a picnic, a bike ride, for relaxing and savoring a spring day.
In an alternate reality, Sean is married now, perhaps a father, and enjoying a picnic of his own.
Maybe through facebook I would have caught up with him, and we could have compared stories. He could tell me about life in the sandbox, and I could regale him with the humdrum follies of garrison life at an Air National Guard base.
Instead, he's gone, and this site is now a keeper of his memory. Instead of having a beer and brat with him, or sending him an email, or giving him a call, we send instead a prayer that his soul be at rest and that his loved ones find solace. we also pray that his sacrifice - and the sacrifices of thousands of others - not be forgotten or be in vain.
Thank you.
Posted by: Mary Grimes | June 13, 2009 at 10:39 PM