American soldiers continue to die in Iraq.
More than a dozen have died this month, bringing the total dead in the war to nearly 4,100.
In Afghanistan, more than 500 Americans have died.
And the number of Iraqi and Afghan deaths are in the tens of thousands.
And yet, these wars have receded from view as other concerns have risen to the fore — an economy spiraling downward, a faulty healthcare system, the environment and the battle for the Democratic nomination, among them.
We shouldn’t let that happen, and we certainly should not forget the sacrifices made by the men and women fighting over seas, especially as we approach Memorial Day on Monday.
The holiday was recognized officially as a national holiday by an act of Congress in 1971, but has been observed since 1863. It is a day for remembering the sacrifices of the more than a million men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country.
Too often, it is used as an excuse to grill some steaks, and relax in the backyard, without a thought to what the day signifies.
Local veterans, however, do their best to keep the spirit of the day alive, placing flags at local cemeteries and wreaths at local monuments.
Veterans from Jamesburg, Monroe and Helmetta will assemble at Jamesburg’s Veterans’ Park on East Railroad Avenue at 10 a.m. Monday for ceremonies and a parade. But before that, a wreath laying will be held at the veterans monument at the Triangle Memorial on Spotswood-Englishtown Road at 8:30 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. wreath laying at the veterans monument at the Monroe Township Municipal Complex.
In Cranbury, the annual Memorial Day parade, organized and run by the Cranbury Lions Club, will begin at 1 p.m. at the intersection of South Main Street and Station Road and will feature local veterans, a marching band, a pipe and drum band, decorated bicycles, floats and more. The parade will end in Memorial Park. In addition, Civil War re-actors, Company H, 14th NJ Volunteers, will hold their annual memorial service at the Civil War Soldiers Monument in Brainerd Cemetery behind the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury at 11 a.m. Monday.
We encourage everyone in town to join them, to honor those who lost their lives in the various wars fought during the nation’s 232-year history.
We also should honor the living by improving the veterans’ healthcare program and by passing the new G.I. bill sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat from Virginia who was Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan, along with Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.
The legislation calls for full scholarships to in-state public universities, along with housing costs, for any veteran who served for at least three years. It also would give them “15 years to use the benefit, instead of the current 10-year limit, and would set up a new government program that matches financial aid by more expensive private institutions,” according to The Washington Post.
The program is estimated to cost $51.8 billion over 10 years — not cheap, but the investment would pay significant dividends down the road.
Plus, it is the least we can do for the men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
