A Reminder of True Honor and Courage Pete Seeger wrote a song based on a scripture from Ecclesiastes that went: “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under Heaven.” It was a popular song when I was growing up and it was considered a VietNam protest song of sorts. It went on: “A time to be born, a time to die; A time to plant, a time to reap, A time to kill, a time to heal, A time to laugh, a time to weep.” We were young and foolish, idealistic and self righteous to boot. I remember my father sitting me down to look at a Life Pictorial History of WWII and explaining to me that I should be very careful behaving as if I understood what war– any war, was really about. He flew reconnaissance missions over enemy territory during the war, lost a brother in Germany in January of 1945, but he and his younger brother both made it home safe. So he knew what he was talking about. By the time we had made it through that book, I was in tears and I would never from that day forth show anything but the deepest respect for a man or woman in uniform. The song ends with: “A time to gain, a time to lose, A time to rend, a time to sew, A time for love, a time for hate, A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.” So, as I looked at the photographs of these two heroes and what their lives must have been like all those many years ago, I cannot help but be grateful to my father who taught me humility in the face of unspeakable courage. Happy Birthday Mr. Labardini and to you and your brother, Thank you for your service.
