It’s not often we urge readers to watch televisioncertainly not during a holiday weekend that kicks off the summer.
But today at 6:30 p.m., Denver’s KMGH-Channel 7 will air “Iwo Jima, A Final Tour,” a documentary that follows a group of 80-something former Marines from Colorado who return to the island where they fought in 1945 — and 6,821 fellow Americans lost their lives.
Many of us observe Memorial Day by visiting and placing flags at cemeteries and memorials for those who lost their lives defending the nation. Others will take part in a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. And most of us enjoy a day off with our friends and families.
While many of us do what we can to remember those who were lost in wars and conflicts that shaped our nation, sadly, we will soon be without those who fought valiantly in and won World War II.
They saved the world, and their stories need to be documented and remembered.
And separately, if you didn’t get the chance on Sunday, we invite you to go back and read Bill Schmeling’s gripping piece that he wrote for our Perspective section. The 85-year-old Elizabeth man was a gunner in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
The veterans’ trip to Iwo Jima was sponsored by the Colorado-based Greatest Generations Foundation, a group whose mission is “to promote recognition and respect for U.S. and allied war veterans while enhancing historical education for today’s youth.”
We couldn’t think of a more pertinent or important objective to support on Memorial Day.
Of course, in 2010, while we not only honor those men and women who have fallen in service to their country, we also must commit to supporting the men and women who currently serve in our armed forces. That means better medical care and decent veterans benefits.
And we must continue to ask how we can reduce the risks of still more Americans dying in future wars.
We can do no less for those to whom we owe so much.
