A man who escaped from East Berlin to the West with his family during the height of the Cold War said he considers freedom the most valuable thing a person can have.
He also said that freedom can truly be appreciated only by those who have lived without it.
Coming as it does from someone who had to live without freedom, that’s hard to argue with.
We would add, however, that freedom can also be appreciated to the fullest extent by those who have had it and lost it, or who have made extreme sacrifices in order to keep it.
One example: Those who survived the Bataan Death March, then spent years suffering in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp during World War II, must have had an appreciation of freedom that cannot be matched by someone else who hasn’t had it taken away in such brutal fashion. Those who were consigned to other POW camps during World War II, or in the Korean and Vietnam wars, also have it.
It was 71 years ago today, on Dec. 7, 1941, that America became an involuntary participant in World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. One of Cumberland’s sons, Victor Tambolleo, remains entombed in the USS Arizona along with more than 1,100 of his shipmates beneath the waters of of Pearl Harbor. Others who survived that attack still live around here.
World War II was already well under way in Europe and Asia. Many Americans wanted no part of it, and it’s hard to blame them. Only those who’ve experienced war first-hand, or who’ve had loved ones killed or maimed in war, can truly appreciate the horror of it.
President Roosevelt said Dec. 7, 1941, was “a date which will live in infamy,” and as long as there are free people, whether in America or anywhere else, that is how it should remain. Many today are still angry about Pearl Harbor. However, Sept. 11, 2001, is another date that should also live in infamy, because it provides the same lessons.
We pledge to remember Pearl Harbor and those who were there on that terrible day, just as we ought to remember all Americans who have struggled over the past 236 years to gain and preserve the freedom that many of us do appreciate — but which, sadly, many do not.
Editorials
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Gift of freedom
Gift of freedom
Remember Pearl Harbor and sacrifices made by Americans
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It’s not new
America’s governments have always afforded us what’s called “a double-edged sword” — one that cuts both ways — when it comes to the contrasting ideas of openness and security.
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This summer:
You can do your kids a favor this summer by getting them involved in reading.
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Western Md. Veterans continues its mission
My name is Dan Brashear, I am the founder and director of Western Maryland Veterans.
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Maybe the cyclists and casino workers should be armed
Again, unfortunately I have to remind Don Carns Jr. of Beans Cove, Pa., on his latest repeatedly inaccurate letter published June 10 in the Cumberland Times-News (“Township is nothing like either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia”).
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Let’s all kick in $1 to help save Frostburg’s Palace Theatre
As a former resident, I have many fond memories of the Palace Theatre (“Theater wall crumbles: Palace exterior collapses, unfit for entry: officials,” June 6 Times-News, Page 1A).
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Close call
Thanks to a routine inspection, what could well have been a major disaster has been averted at Westmar Middle School’s football field.
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Develop the waterway
Since the debate over removing the dam started about four years ago, I have been concerned about the effect the dam removal would have on the area’s welfare.
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Living center marks national nursing assistants week
Golden Living Center will join in the celebrations honoring the hundreds of thousands of nursing assistants across the country during National Nursing Assistants Week, June 13-20.
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West Virginia, Johnny Cash, coal miners honored on stamps
While this most likely won’t fall under the category of the most earth-shattering letter to the editor you will read today, it is still big doings for those of us here at the U.S. Postal Service.
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Editorial Cartoon - 06/15/2013
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