Our Fallen Heroes--A Tribute For Memorial Day

[aveosmth]

Here is an article I wrote regarding sports heroes on Memorial Day...its in that grey area, so I thought I'd post it here as well. Thanks for reading.

Memorial Day Weekend. It is synonymous with beaches, babes, and barbeques. This holiday has to be one of the most celebrated of the year. In the midst of that celebration, most of us forget to actually use that day for what it is intended. Memorial Day is a day to honor our fallen heroes who have died in combat. I thought that this year, I would think about some of those people in the sporting world who gave their time and sometimes their life in war.

I’ll be thinking about Ted Williams. This is a man who knew exactly what the word sacrifice meant. He enlisted in the Marines right after a season where he batted .356, had 36 homers and 137 RBI’s. After the 1942 season, Ted Williams became a Marine fighter pilot who fought in World War II and Korea. He never thought about the records he could be setting or the World Series rings he could have won. The only thing on his mind was duty, honor, country. Thank you Mr. Williams.

I’ll be thinking about Jackie Robinson. This is a man who also enlisted to fight in two wars as well. As soon as he was done with the hated Germans, he had to immediately fight the war of segregation in America. He fought this war at the lunch counters, bus stops and baseball fields of this country. He was spiked, kicked, and spat on by both opponents and teammates. There was no going AWOL or an honorable discharge from this battle. Jackie carried himself with dignity and a quiet determination that was awe-inspiring. He eventually helped to win this war, and is a true credit to his race, the human race. Thank you Mr. Robinson.

I’ll be thinking of Pat Tillman. As the scourge of terrorism threatened to vanquish innocent people across the globe, Tillman stepped up to meet the challenge head-on. The events of September 11, 2001, changed the face of American permanently. This tragedy affected our consciousness, our inner being as a nation. It brought fear into the minds of a country that had gone generations without it. As Americans, we had two choices. We could run or fight. Our country chose the latter, and Pat Tillman was one of those people who were at the front line. I choose to remember Tillman this weekend not for the cloudy circumstances that revolve around his death, but for the courageous way that he lived his life. Thank you Mr. Tillman.

I’ll be thinking about Roberto Clemente. At first glance you may question the validity of Clemente being in my thoughts. Clemente didn’t fight against Hitler or Bin Laden, but he fought the war on poverty, which is just as important. On December 31st 1972, this brave man died in a plane crash while taking food, medical and clothing supplies to an earthquake stricken Nicaragua. Clemente didn’t care that the cargo plane was unstable, and it didn’t matter that he wasn’t Nicaraguan. What mattered to him was that people were in need and he had the ability to help. His death is one of the most tragic of all time. This tragedy can only be outshined by the lessons he taught us all. He truly loved his neighbors and gave his life for his ideals. I refuse to be so patriotic that I cannot recognize and praise the contributions of people who are not American this weekend. You see, Roberto taught me this. Thank you Mr. Clemente.

I’ll be thinking about Drazen Petrovic. Drazen Petrovic was involved in the type of war that must be among the hardest to fight; a civil war. Even though he was away from the battle zone in the former Yugoslavia, he still had to deal with its ramifications in America. Every day he would lose a relative, friend, or ex-teammate in combat. His Croatian descent meant that he could not share his sorrows with Vlade Divac and Tony Kukoc, who were Serbs. These three men had all played on the Yugoslavian national team at one point, but now they were supposed to be enemies. Petrovic never bought into this belief and whenever he played against either Divac or Kukoc, he reached out to them as brothers. He also went back to his homeland countless times as an ambassador of peace. He was an extraordinary man on and off the court. On the court he will be known as the first European-born player to have a high level of success in the NBA. He led the New Jersey Nets in scoring with 22.3 points per game and was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career when he died at the age of 28. Not only will I be thinking of him this weekend, but I’m hoping that Dirk Nowitski, Tony Parker, and Peja Stojakovic are thinking about him as well. Thank you Mr. Petrovic.

I’ll be thinking about Ken Caminiti. The war Cammy fought was not one where his enemy was visible. He couldn’t use guns, knives, bombs or propaganda. Caminiti’s war was against himself. He battled a drug and alcohol addiction throughout his distinguished career in Major League Baseball. All too often, we have ostracized people for being addicted to drugs and alcohol. The pervasive attitude of “If they wanted to stop doing drugs they would just stop” infects and impedes our ability to sympathize with the user. Most people feel that users are somehow a masochistic breed of people who enjoy the endless cycle of despair, self-loathing, and frustration. Unfortunately, drug and alcohol addiction is just as much of a disease as cancer. Drugs and alcohol capitalize upon our emotions of loneliness and depression just like Caminiti took advantage of 3-0 fastballs. Caminiti climbed to the top of the top of the league, but could never defeat his addiction. He was a man who was loved by teammates, friends and family. Even though he never played for a team that I supported, I always admired how he played the game. He was an unbelievably strong man whose balance of power and finesse was amazing. I miss his presence on the field, and I hope he didn’t die in vain. Thank you Mr. Caminiti.

Finally, I’ll be thinking about all of the men and women who died so that I could have a barbeque in peace this weekend. Whether or not they played sports is inconsequential to me. I know that without these brave souls, our American ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness could have been destroyed. I’d like to dedicate this article to all of the men and women who have died for our country in combat. Thanks for reading.

[x-y-no]

That was a touching piece. Thank you.

[aveosmth]

No problem, my pleasure!

[StormChasr]

I will be thinking of all of the guys I knew in 1991 who are not around to read this. I shall also think of the men and women in Iraq who aren't around to read this, and for all of the ones that I know will come home safely.

[azskyman]

This year in particular I will be thinking about a former friend and coworker Jeff Smith who lost his life in Vietnam.

I recently read an excellent book by Jedwin Smith (his older brother) entitled "Our Brother's Keeper, One Family's Journey To Hell And Back" which profoundly reminded me how deep and how long the anger and hurt can go on when we lose a family member or friend to war.

I worked with Jeff the summer before he became a Marine. We had a wonderful talk one night working the night shift...about life and love and dreams.

The book put all that in perspective in a way it never has been done before.

[azsnowman]

That was a touching piece. Thank you.

Very well done, "Thank you" for reminding us the sacrifice that so many have made to keep us free!

Dennis