Honoring our heroes

Rep. Allen Andrews

There is a place overlooking the Mississippi River near St. Louis where we are honored to have the final resting place of more than 200,000 of our nation’s heroes.

It is on these hallowed grounds that soldiers from every war in our history now lay at rest, and where, each year, we are saddened by the fact that more than 4,000 graves are added to this count that is already far too high.

The graves and markers at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery are a lasting tribute to the courage and selfless sacrifice of the individuals who have stood and fought for the freedoms we have today — Americans who put love of country above love of self; who risked life and limb so that our nation could continue to stand as a shining beacon of freedom and hope for the rest of the world.

But these measured rows of white markers in now peaceful fields must stand for something even more than this.

As one veteran once remarked, “These simple markers list names and dates, they are no more than that. For you cannot see the pain on whitened stone or feel the loss of lives fully lived that might have been. It is not enough to delegate their memory to a marble pillar. We must forever etch their memory in our hearts as well as on stone.”

As we continue to honor the memories of those who have fought and died for our nation, let us vow to never forget the price that has been paid for the freedoms we enjoy, and to remember on each and every day that far too many of our best and our brightest have given their lives in defense of the way of life we hold dear.

We as a nation must commit ourselves to their memory, for it was through their sacrifice that we have the freedom to live in peace.

As always, it is my privilege to be of service to you.