Ron Williams

Pennsylvania Furnace

Given its origins, a fundamental question needs to be addressed as we celebrate Memorial Day in this important election year.

Memorial Day serves to honor those veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we now enjoy. Along with those freedoms they bequeathed us another priceless gift. That gift is to be an “American.”

Americans share a bond that is unique in the history of nations. It’s not a bond derived from shared blood. It’s not based on the origin of our ancestors. And it’s certainly not because we all look alike, think alike or worship alike.

What makes us uniquely “American” is our shared, deeply rooted belief in the “idea” of America… the belief that all people are created equal and endowed with fundamental rights such as liberty, free speech, freedom of religion, due process of law and freedom of assembly.

True, we’ve not yet fully realized this national aspiration. It has always been a work in progress. So perhaps the best way to honor our greatest patriots this year is to remember that we have an obligation to them to turn the ‘idea’ of America into the reality of America.

The looming question, therefore, is simply this. Is it possible to truly honor those patriots who sacrificed everything to defend the source of our freedoms, democracy… and still support a presidential candidate, Donald Trump, whose every action seeks to undermine it?