Watson Coleman: “there are many kinds of heroes in our world. Some create magnificent works of art which raise our spirits to nobler…”

“there are many kinds of heroes in our world. Some create magnificent works of art which raise our spirits to nobler visions. Some make tremendous scientific discoveries which revolutionize our understanding and our use of nature for human good. Some reach unprecedented achievement by adventuring where humans have never been before. But today we are honoring the late Simon Wiesenthal, a different kind of hero who didn't achieve in the realm of beauty, science or adventure. His life achievement instead was to hold up to humanity the truth about one of its ugliest chapters. He faced what is worst in humankind, and triumphed over it. In almost every culture the concept of justice begins with finding the truth. Simon Wiesenthal was a principled and indefatigable pursuer of the truth of the Nazi holocaust. He was not content to let the stain of the Nazi murder of Jews and others to be washed away with the passage of time. He sought to document their acts so that they could be recorded forever. But his life's work went beyond finding the truth. He traveled the globe to make sure surviving members of the Third Reich were held accountable for their monstrous crimes. He summed up his life with the words ``Never forget. Never again.'' He made us recognize that the simple act of forgetting opened the door for the unthinkable to recur.…”