Grateful for Memorial Day, Pledge of Allegiance lessons; familiar themes from commissioner | READER COMMENTARIES
A 6-year-old provides unforgettable moment
On the morning of Memorial Day, I had my 6-year-old granddaughter Kira with me. So we went to see the parade on Main Street in Westminster. It was a lovely parade, joyful but not exuberant, not flamboyant, rather with an air of respect for the dead. Kira was intently taking it all in.
After the parade, we stopped at a supermarket to pick up a few items for the afternoon cookout. Kira says, “We need to get flowers for an Army grave.” What a surprising little delight it was for me to hear that.
So we went over to the cut flowers where I quickly saw a bucket full of different-colored carnation bouquets for $6.99. I said to Kira, “Here, pick out one of these.” She would have none of it, and picked out a red ,white and blue bouquet priced at $12.99. So off we went.
I told Kira, “We can go to my Dad’s grave (a WWII veteran), he was in the Coast Guard.” Kira replied, “No, it has to be an Army grave.”
The Coast Guard was still an unfamiliar term to Kira, despite just hearing a wonderful medley of the anthems of all five branches of the military by the Westminster High School Marching Band. This was obviously something that she had given some thought.
So off we went to the Ellsworth Cemetery. It is located on a hill between the Wawa and Crossroads Church. It is a historic cemetery segregated for Black American veterans. It languished in almost total neglect until it was recently restored by some friends of mine in the Knights of Columbus.
I suggested to Kira, “We can put the whole bouquet on one grave, or we can put one flower each on several graves.” Again, Kira would have none of it. She said, “No. I want to put on all the flowers on one grave.” She sounds like her grandmother.
When we arrive, she picks out a headstone. Kira is a kindergarten student so she can’t totally read it, but it is the grave of Martha Frisby, wife of Frank Frisby, who has been gone now for almost a century. Kira lays the flowers by the headstone … then stands straight up, puts her little hand over her big heart (left hand … and recites the Pledge of Allegiance.
I will remember that moment the rest of my days. I am so grateful that the kindergarten students at Mechanicsville Elementary School in Carroll County were taught the meaning of Memorial Day and especially: The pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Michael Hurley, Eldersburg
Little information about Times future, just same old topics
As a longtime reader and subscriber to the Times, I was interested to read Eric Bouchat’s article, which ran under the heading “New owners of Times, Sun promote local involvement,” hoping to gain some insight on the new owner’s vision for the future of the Times.
Unfortunately, just three paragraphs, where Bouchat mentioned “more community involvement” and “memberships,” were devoted to the topic, with Bouchat offering zero information of what memberships are or what more community involvement might look like.
Bouchat then devoted the rest of the piece extolling the words of wisdom of co-owner Armstrong Williams, which we are advised to heed, on subjects ranging from the genius of Alexander Hamilton, the national debt and the strength of the dollar. These are all familiar topics from Bouchat for those of us familiar with his term as a county commissioner, and most likely what he wanted to write about in the first place.
If this is an example of what more community involvement looks like, I am afraid our local paper will remain what it has become, a mere shell of its former self.
Steve Malcolm, Westminster