Take time today to revere soldiers’ supreme sacrifices

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

That profound quote, the most oft-repeated of our prolific late President John F. Kennedy Jr., serves as an appropriate backdrop for today’s simultaneous observance of Memorial Day and the centennial of the 35th president’s birth on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Mass.

Like the brave men and women we honor and memorialize today, a rich part of JFK’s legacy resides in his honorable and unselfish service to his country as a heroic commander of several Patrol Torpedo boats in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Though not killed on war-torn battlefields, Kennedy perished in active duty to his country by enemy gunfire on the streets of Dallas, Texas, on that dark day in November 1963.

Today’s Memorial Day holiday continues the tradition of paying tribute to those who throughout American history have answered Kennedy’s passionate call to service to country with the supreme sacrifice – from the Revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord to today’s violent skirmishes in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Across the country, millions of Americans will pause to remember valiant loved ones among this nation’s 1.3 million war dead. As Vindicator staff writer Bill Alcorn documented Sunday in a front-page holiday weekend feature, the somber personal losses from warfare strike close to home for many in the Mahoning Valley. Among those to be remembered and revered today for their gallant service include:

Army Cpl. James Bobovnyk of Youngstown, who died in a prisoner-of-war camp in North Korea during the height of the Korean War in 1951. For his brother Fred, the pain of James’ death has not subsided over the past 67 years. The North Korean government has yet to return his remains to the U.S.

Army Cpl. Richard Choppa of Hubbard was killed Dec. 15, 1967, by multiple fragmentation wounds while trying to rescue a fellow soldier struck in an ambush in the Vietnam War. Christmastime has never been the same for the Choppa family.

Army Sgt. Robert M. Carr of Champion was killed March 13, 2007, by an improvised explosive device during his second tour of duty in Iraq. Today, 3,730 days after his death, his mother, Christine Wortman, still struggles to sleep some nights. “I know he died doing what he believed in and loved, but that doesn’t take away the pain,” she said.

That pain can be softened somewhat in knowing that he and his comrades through the centuries died to enable our individual freedoms and liberties to endure.

OBSERVE HOLIDAY APPROPRIATELY

Indeed, the U.S. has been involved in warfare 90 percent of its 241-year history. All Americans who recognize the value of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform ought to make time to fittingly observe Memorial Day. They can do so by pausing to remember and thank Bobovnyk, Choppa, Carr and all of the valiant warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the American way.

Sadly, however, for far too many of us, Memorial Day’s primary purpose has been cheapened and corrupted. The day has become one to celebrate the unofficial start of summer or a day to fire up that shiny new grill for outdoor barbecues.

Others tend to confuse today’s holiday with Veterans Day in November. Veterans Day marks a nation’s homage to all men and women – living and dead – who have served in the armed forces in the nation’s 10 major wars. Memorial Day is the day that a grateful nation has set aside to solemnly and soberly remember and honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

Sacrifice and selflessness indeed are the watchwords of today’s national holiday. That’s why it’s so incredibly important that we take time out today from sunning, grilling and shopping to pause long enough to recognize Memorial Day’s true intent. Here are a few ways to do so:

Proudly display an American flag at your home or business.

Attend any of a number of Memorial Day parades and events throughout the Mahoning Valley.

Take part with friends and family members in the National Moment of Remembrance. This event of national unity held each year since 2000 encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time for one minute of silence, honor and reflection about those who have died in service to our nation.

As Moment of Remembrance Founder Carmella La Spada put it, “It’s one way all of us can help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”