Cord Byrd: “On this last Monday in May, Americans observe Memorial Day. On this day, we honor the fallen heroes of past and present…”

“On this last Monday in May, Americans observe Memorial Day. On this day, we honor the fallen heroes of past and present wars, the mighty who have fallen in battle, by flying flags, laying wreaths at soldiers' graves, and other appropriate forms of tribute. On Monday, the mournful sound of taps will echo across the rows of headstones in quiet veterans' cemeteries and other cemeteries across the land. These will be followed by the sharp report of a 21-gun salute. Families across America may leaf through old boxes of photographs and remember their own losses--the doughboy uncle who fell in France in 1918; the Marine Corps cousin lost on Tarawa in World War II; the Army nephew cut down in Korea; or the Navy pilot brother shot down over Binh Hoa in Vietnam; the sons lost so recently in Afghanistan. Memorial Day is a time of public patriotism leavened by private grief. In my own State of West Virginia, that undercurrent of private grief is sharpened by recent loss. Last Sunday, Sgt. Gene Arden Vance of Morgantown was killed in Afghanistan while carrying out a surveillance patrol with other coalition forces. He was 38 years old. He leaves behind his wife Lisa, a young daughter, and many family members and friends.”