ST. MARY’S TODAY
LEONARDTOWN --- Half dozen peace doves fluttered their wings to fly into the boundless freedom of the azure sky at the Leonardtown Square Saturday morning, bringing home a message of the life-giving powers of peace.
A young Stephanie Cloud sang the Star-Spangled Banner in the manner of a nightingale, warming the hearts of those who value freedom and justice for all on Veterans Day Saturday.
Re-elected Senator Roy Dyson, himself a crusader for the environment and of life, congratulated the people of St. Mary’s for holding the largest parade in the state of Maryland.
At the square there was a plaque for 14 veterans of World War One, that was erected way back on November 11, 1921. A separate monument honors 63 World War Two veterans, seven Korean war veterans, 13 Vietnam and two Iraq war veterans.
The two newest sons of St. Mary’s who gave their lives in Iraq with the dream of a better world were Pfc. Raymond J. Faulstich Jr., 24 and Cpl. Matthew P. Wallace, 22.
Faulstich and Wallace family members were honored on Veterans Day and names of the two young fallen heroes found their place on a memorial plaque.
Faulstich left behind a 20-year-old widow, Crystal. The slain soldier’s mother, Linda Faulstich, has said too many lives been lost in Iraq and wants an end to the war immediately. Nearly 3000 American troops and a hundred thousand Iraqis have perished in Iraq.
Congressman Steny Hoyer, newly elected majority leader in the House; Col. Mary Boyd, a representative of outgoing governor Bob Ehrlich; outgoing County Commissioner President Tommy McKay (R. Hollywood) and Leonardtown Mayor Chip Norris spoke on the occasion.
Inspirational speeches were delivered by Leonardtown elementary school fifth graders Gabrielle Allred, Joshua Carpenter and Ashlyn Dishman. The three read out from winner essays they penned on the significance of Veterans Day.
Carpenter asked people to take a moment and think why we have such a better country. “There are so many things we would not have had, so many rights we would never have enjoyed, had it not been for veterans,” Carpenter said. He saluted those who laid down their lives for the cause of freedom.
Allred called the veterans brave men and women who give up their comforts and fight for bringing peace and comfort for their countrymen.
Dishman said, “Veterans Day means love. They love us so much they are willing to give their lives for us.”
Ehrlich’s representative Col. Boyd said freedoms is not free and paid tributes to U.S. service men who stand sentry around the world.
Baring County Commissioner President Tommy McKay (R. Hollywood), most contestants from either party GOP or Democratic Party, had gracefully bowed to the peoples’ verdict. They appeared to have left behind the bitterness of an election that saw some hitting their rivals below the belt in the pursuit of office.
“The voters have thrown the bums out,” McKay told citizens gathered at the town square, in a manner of complaint.
One the eve of the Veterans Day, Hoyer said “Americans celebrate this Veterans Day at a time of ongoing global threats to our nation's security. As American troops fight terrorism around the world, it is particularly important to honor the 25 million living American veterans, especially those who have recently returned from battles overseas.
He said, “Nearly 3,000 U.S. troops have now died in Iraq, including 53 brave men and women from Maryland. Like all Americans, I mourn the loss of these brave patriots.”
Hoyer said arrangements are necessary to give the returning troops a dignified life. "Supporting our troops requires that we treat them with dignity and respect upon their return home. Congress will honor our veterans with a new GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century that provides access to health care, education, job training, and fair compensation,” he said.
Interestingly, though American troops are engaged in wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, to most Middle East observers the war in Afghanistan is winnable, but the only good out of the Iraq war was establishment of an independent and secular Kurdistan. A redrawing of the Middle East borders is not only highly doable, but also in the best long-term security interests of the Free World.
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