Garnering Insight: Never forget

Garnering Insight: Never forget

As I do every morning, I spent a few moments in silence with a cup of coffee pondering what was, what is and what will be. However, this past Tuesday, on April 9, I spent a few extra moments to myself.

It’s not because April 9 is National Unicorn Day or National Gin and Tonic Day (even though I do enjoy a good gin and tonic on a warm day) or any of the other silly proclamation days. Actually, April 9 is a very somber day and most certainly deserves a few moments of silence and reflection because it is the National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. This particular date was chosen for a reason as April 9, 1942, was the day of the infamous Bataan Death March. I’m not going to go into detail about it, but I encourage you to look it up on your own.

Let that set in for a moment. Now think just for a second or two about what those service members endured in captivity while defending freedom. Not a very comfortable thought, is it.

Service runs deep in my family. Besides my own service in the Marine Corps, both of my parents served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam, my maternal grandfather served in the Navy, I had a great uncle in the Army during World War II. Also, my wife’s step-grandfather served as a tail gunner during World War II and became a prisoner of war in Germany. So yes, this day holds significance for me personally.

The POW/MIA cause is one I hold deeply and I try to honor those service members each day even if it is something as trivial as wearing a metal bracelet that says “FREEDOM NOW.” Every time I put the bracelet on, I take just a moment, just one short moment to remember that they are not forgotten.

Although you may have not taken any time on Tuesday to remember these service members and those who are still classified as being prisoners of war or missing in action because you were too busy sipping on a gin and tonic or dreaming about unicorns, I implore you to take one moment today or tomorrow — and then the next and each one thereafter — to Never Forget.

Ken Garner is the owner and publisher of The Maryville Forum and The Post.