Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day we remember our veterans and those who gave their lives defending this great nation. Gov. Joe Manchin said, “Military service has been important in the Mountain State because of our proud history of serving this country. One visit to the state Capitol Complex War Memorial or a visit to any of our state’s historic towns will give anyone a better understanding of how our state’s residents have always answered the call of duty ... Memorial Day is one of our country’s most important holidays because it gives us the opportunity to pause and honor those brave men and women in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The first “Memorial Day” may have occurred in Charleston, S.C., after the close of the Civil War when freed people removed the bodies of soldiers from a mass grave and reinterred them properly with individual graves. After the work was completed, local folks — mostly black residents — proceeded to the location and held a celebration in remembrance declaring the cemetery a Union graveyard. This was possibly the earliest “Decoration Day.” Decoration Day evolved to become Memorial Day, which was declared the official name by federal law in 1967.
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Right in the heart of Pocahontas, Va., stands a memorial bearing the names of servicemen from the town and surrounding area who served in World War II. The names are familiar to many of us. Several lost their lives in action. Pocahontas chose many years ago to honor their veterans with a fitting memorial monument.
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While many think of the three-day weekend in terms of the Indianapolis 500 race, cookouts, carnivals, festivals and other family entertainment, the day is set aside to remember our fallen veterans. We often include others who are important in our lives. However, would not those who made the ultimate sacrifice rather that a celebration of life and liberty be observed than have more tears shed upon a stone? They paid the price so we may celebrate and enjoy our freedoms.
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In our national cemeteries crosses and the Star of David mark the many graves where our fallen lay. The forlorn sound of “Taps” will cause a lump to rise in our throats and we will be reminded that these lives were lost but not in vain, for we are here and free to proclaim the day.
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Bluefield City Manager Andy Merriman apologized to the residents of Bluefield who were upset over the garbage mess. Merriman, who accepted all of the blame, did point out that the city is having problems with wild animals, vermin and crows. Our garbage, if not properly contained, provides these creatures with a source of food and that worsens the problem. Sometimes my wife puts out a little dry cat food for the friendly neighborhood cats that often come by the house for a little petting and TLC. Late one evening those little cats turned out to be three small masked bandits (raccoons) at the door. Yes, there is a problem and we do have a forest surrounding the city.
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Some folks are upset with Merriman. He is young and some may say inexperienced. We have had more than a century of experienced leadership at the city’s helm. Somehow that leadership managed to steer us from a course of growth and prosperity to ... just go downtown, look for yourself, and make your own assessment. The old blue mare ain’t what she used to be. Now, Merriman has an opportunity, his inexperience has created a few problems, but somehow in spite of the stink that arises from the places where he has stepped, something positive usually surfaces. If Franklin D. Roosevelt or Harry Truman had pitched in the towel to every adverse reaction to the plans they tried to implement or setback they had in their early years, they would not have risen to the occasion to become great leaders of this nation. I’m not saying that Andy might be president some day, but one thing for sure, he is not afraid to do something. Merriman’s do something is better than a lot of do nothing.
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Many of the sidewalks in Bluefield are in bad shape. Many are cracked, spalled or broken into pieces. Others are still covered with winter abrasives and salt. Vegetation is slowly encroaching upon several. Weeds abound in joints and cracks. The city code may require adjacent property owners to maintain the walks, but that obviously is not working. Last March, Welch Mayor Martha Moore had city workers out cleaning up the city’s walks and curb lines. We have not seen that activity in Bluefield. Several of the walks in the city, including those on Cumberland Road, are on state rights of ways. Mayor Moore made no distinction in Welch and had the walks and curb lines cleaned. If Bluefield’s leadership continues to rely on the residents to keep the walks clean and in good repair all I can say is dream on. Something needs to change.
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I once heard a developer say he judged a city’s “health” by the condition of the curb lines. If he found the curbs to be kept in good repair, he deemed the town a good place to locate his business. If not, he did not invest in the town. It seems that he had noted some correlation between the condition of the curbs, the value the town placed on keeping things in good repair, and the return on his investment in a town. He gave “curb appeal” an unusual twist.
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There you have it, a few comments on items of interest to the area. I hope you are enjoying the long weekend and that you have blue skies today and tomorrow.
Wilson Butt, a resident of Bluefield, is a retired Department of Highways official.
Columns
May 30, 2010
Remember vets; celebrate freedoms
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