Saturday, May 28, 2005
A day to remember those who made ultimate sacrifice
EDITOR:
Since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, over 1,600 members of the U.S. military have died, according to the Associated Press. At least 1,224 of those died as a result of hostile action, and some 12,350 U.S. service members have been wounded, according to the U.S. Defense department.
As we approach Memorial Day this year, let us remember to honor all those men and women who have sacrificed their lives in past and current military conflicts, so that we can live our lives and enjoy our many freedoms.
Let us all in sincere humility and thanks offer a prayer for all those young lives ended long ago on the beaches of Normandy, in Bastogne, Cassino, Remagen, Korea, Guadacanal, Midway, the Philippines, Vietnam, and more recently, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq.
Certainly, Memorial Day has special meaning for families who grieve for a loved one lost in military conflicts. Our heartfelt prayers go out to those families for their loss and in their grief. Many of us will pay tribute by flying our flags, visiting gravesites, viewing or participating in parades, or spending time in private or public prayer.
On this Memorial Day, a most sacred and patriotic reminder of our heritage, we must all join in honoring our sons and daughters who have given their lives to preserve the principles of human dignity, individual liberty, and the mastery of right over might. They did not sacrifice or die in vain.
Area veterans extend a cordial invitation to our citizenry to participate in the many Memorial Day activities conducted in the Youngstown area, including grave decorating, parades, and memorial ceremonies and services on many local cemeteries.
And please remember to fly Old Glory proudly and with honor on this Memorial Day.
VINCENT J. DORIA, Lt. Col USAR Ret.
Liberty
Battle for air base is won, but there's no time to rest
EDITOR:
With the announcement that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is recommending that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS) be retained (and even slightly expanded), Operation: Save Our Airbase Reservists (OSOAR) wants to publicly thank the community for the support that has been shown for the men and women who serve our nation there -- and to remind everyone that this fight is far from over.
While it is true that we were not on the Secretary of Defense's list of bases to be downsized or closed, this is only the first step in a long process. The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission now has approximately four months to remove -- or add -- bases to the list. They must send their list of recommendations to the president by Sept. 8. Until the president approves those recommendations and sends it to Congress, we must remain vigilant to ensure that YARS is in no way hurt during this process.
As we move forward, OSOAR will continue to need the active involvement of our local community. However, having won this first, critical, round, we have an opportunity to pause and thank the many individuals and organizations that have supported our efforts to this point.
OSOAR would like to recognize the leadership of Congressman Tim Ryan, who understood early on the threat BRAC posed to the Valley and brought us together in late 2003 to give the community the time needed to mount an effective campaign. Special thanks too go to Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, whose administration provided critical funding and outside expertise to OSOAR through the All Ohio Task Force To Save Defense Jobs. We also received strong Congressional support from both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, including U.S. Reps. Strickland, LaTourette, English and Hart, and U.S. Sens. DeWine and Voinovich.
So many people played important roles in this effort, from the almost 50 local entities and individuals who stepped forward to provide funds or service, to Mayor McKelvey who took our issue to the White House. We cannot ignore the invaluable contribution of the Trumbull and Mahoning County commissioners over many years, without whose financial support neither the airport nor the YARS would have survived.In addition, the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners created the Airport Zoning Board through which we are now able to control encroachment around the airport for the first time.
The Mahoning Valley's state legislative delegation never wavered in their support, nor did organized labor. The Western Reserve Port Authority provided critical information related to the Airport, while local print and electronic media entities demonstrated their concern for the region's future through their coverage of this process and their generous in-kind promotional support. Finally, there are the individuals and organizations that have come together from Pennsylvania and Ohio to form what we know as Operation: SOAR, who have volunteered countless hours to keeping the YARS operating and without whom none of the rest would have been possible.
Each one has played an important role in our initial success.
Again, as we are thanking everyone for their past support, we cannot stress enough that only the first battle is won -- not the war. As additional data becomes available from the Department of Defense it is disturbingly clear just how closely the existing C-130 bases were ranked on their ability to perform the & quot;Airlift & quot; mission. That means none of us can rest easy yet. We ask that the community continue to demonstrate its support by keeping up your banners, wearing your badges, and being aware of the process until after the final list has been approved this fall and the 2,400 jobs at the facility are no longer in jeopardy.
REID DULBERGER and DAVE HAMILTON Co-Chairs
Operation: Save Our Airbase Reservists
A day to be remembered
EDITOR:
The 20th anniversary of the 1985 tornado that swept through Niles, and many other local areas is May 31. We need to keep all of these communities in our thoughts and prayers.
I am a member of the McDonald Volunteer Fire Department and I saw first hand the damage that was done in Niles. The cemetery, plaza and the roller rink will always be memories I will have of that day. When help started to arrive the only words I heard people say were, how can we help. To this day when we get a tornado warning for our county and we respond to our station to be on standby, I hear those loud tornado sirens going off in Niles, I get goose bumps.
RICH HARVEY
McDonald