Honoring our fallen

I have run, maybe, a dozen 5 and 10k races (two mini-marathons and one marathon) in my life, and I can honestly say today’s 5k had me all choked up on numerous occasions. The Tunnel 2 Tower 5k is run in memory of the firemen and first responders who died in the line of duty on September 11, 2001.

Hundreds, if not thousands of the runners/walkers represented the five branches of the Armed Services and veterans, police, firefighters and first responders. Thousands more were corporate, special interest organizations, and non profits such as the Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, the group for whom I represented today. And still thousands more, all were there to honor fallen heroes.

At the start of the race we stood near one of the Fire Engines Firehouse) that sent their teams to the World Trade Center that morning.

Near the end of the race, for at least a mile, on both sides of the street stood firemen and firemen in full dress uniforms holding banners with a photo and name of a fallen policeman or firefighter. I shook the hands of what seemed like nearly all of them as we passed them by.

A number of times we stopped to let some of our older members catch up with us. At one of those points I noticed a woman holding an obviously handmade placard with the photo of a fireman lost on 9/11. I asked her if he was a family member. She said he was her son.

There was no way I was moving forward without giving her a hug and a “I’m sorry for your loss.” (I am all teary-eyed recounting this poignant moment)

As we neared the finish, there were thousands of JROTC members, junior and high school kids, and countless other people from all walks of life present to cheer us on.

This is a race I wanted to run, but could not. I think I am making it my mission for next year.

Many races are run for the sake of sport. This one comes from the heart and soul of New Yorkers who will never let us forget.

Cokie Roberts: A paragon

Do you have heroes? Sure, we all do.

As a kid, my heroes typically was astronauts, my Grandparents, and my uncles, and especially my parents. In later years as I matured, my heroes were writers, especially journalists. How could I not? My generation had David Brinkley, Chet Huntley, David Chancellor, Howard K. Smith, Harry Reasoner. Roger Mudd, Dan Rather, and at the top of the heap, the venerable Walter Cronkite, often called the most trusted man in America.

In the 1980s to the present, the news has been delivered to us by Jane Pauley, Barbara Walters, David Muir, Hugh Downs, Diane Sawyer, Tom Brokaw, Gwen Ifill, Lesley Stahl, Andrea Mitchell, Judy Woodruff, and Peter Jennings.

News reporters were my guiding light. Journalists inspired me. A few years back I ran into Mike Collins, a longtime local news anchor, at our store (Barnes & Noble). I sheepishly walked up to him and told him how much he had inspired me to become a Navy journalist.

In subsequent years, one name I grew to admire and respect was NPR/ABC News' reporter-anchor-commentator Cokie Roberts. I was introduced to her as a member of the team on ABC News This Week with David Brinkley, George Will, and Sam Donaldson. She later co-anchored the program with Sam Donaldson after Brinkley retired.

Years later, I was pleased to learn she also was a commentator on NPR. and delighted any time she contributed.

Cokie died today from breast cancer at the age of 75.

In my view, Roberts was brilliant. She was insightful. She was relentless and fearless. She was funny and her wit was sharp yet gentle. Above all, she was a consummate professional. She made it all look easy when questioning the politicians who found themselves on the receiving end of her demands for answers.

She said in a recent interview she would like to be remembered as a mother, a wife and a friend to those for whom she cared. I do not think she will be forgotten by any who cherish unbiased, integrity-based journalism.

I deeply mourned Walter Cronkite's passing in 2009. His death hit me hard. No one lives forever, but I think I will feel as deep a sorrow for Roberts' passing as I did for Cronkite.

Roberts is survived by her husband Steven, her daughter Rebecca, son Lee and their six grandchildren.

Remembering Sean

Have you ever met someone on Facebook who you felt you knew personally? Sean and I became good friends eight or nine years ago and I loved the connection we made. We often talked and we kept promising to meet someday.

I can imagine you know where this is heading. All too often, there is a bad thing about somedays and the tomorrows that never come.

Sean became ill with cancer and after his valiant effort of fighting it, he passed away January 1, 2014.

I always dread today for it is his birthday and I am thinking of him.

I miss you, my friend.

An epidemic of violence

In one of my threads on my Facebook page, it was suggested that too many people are pointing fingers about the epidemic of gun violence plaguing America. Alas, I do not see any way but pointing fingers.

The NHS (National Health Services) has wanted to do research on gun violence for decades. Now, maybe we're all sick to death of yet one more study. What's to study? Guns kill people. Okay, okay, people with guns kill people.

A lot of people say mental health is a driving issue of gun violence. It sure is, how can anyone in their right mind wantonly take the life of another?

So if mental health is an issue, let the NHS do their job and study it, BUT the GOP/NRA partnership has for years shut down funding for that. The Democrats have repeatedly attempted to revive the Brady Bill. Again, the GOP/NRA has shut that down. Opponents say there are no needs for more background checks. If the current system of background checks aren't doing the job, this needs to be looked at. Too many people have "legally" slipped through the cracks. You all have surely seen the memes that say it is easier to purchase guns and ammunition than it is to get certain prescription (opiates).

It seems to me, there should be certain controls that raise a flag when someone buys thousands and thousands of rounds of ammunition or large numbers of guns. Seriously, I don't recall the particular case, but I remember the killer of one recent mass killing had just prior to his deed, bought 6,000 rounds of ammunition. 6,000 rounds? Just how many deer did they think going to kill (that's sarcasm, folks)?

And who needs an AK-47 or other assault-style rifles. Don't give me the schtick that some people want it for hunting. Yeah? Hunting humans because no hunter worth their salt hunts with a weapon that is best left in the hands of members of our Armed Forces or police (and don't even get me started on some police over the top actions, which is best left for a totally separate conversation).

I do not think someone "nonchalantly" walking into a gun shop should be walking out. Yes, I know that is not quite how it works, but I do think in some cases, it is far too easy for someone to buy a gun.

I know some people cringe when I suggest this, but I still think gun ownership should entail mandatory gun training (annually?) and ownership insurance. It works for car ownership, why not for guns (and I don't care if auto ownership is not a second amendment issue)?

Today, it is illegal to advertise smoking cigarettes on television. Same goes for the sales of hard liquor. I think the same should be said for gun sales.

Personally, I do not think the Second Amendment is sacrosanct. I also do not think it means what some gun advocates wants it to mean. What part of a "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." means everyone who wants a gun should have one? If gun ownership means "well regulated militia," then go join the Armed Forces.

AND, why oh why, does a second amendment right override my/our right to the pursuit of life and liberty?

It is estimated that there are 393,347,000 guns in America, and that is only an estimate. Again, there are no concrete figures because the GOP/NRA has blocked serious study. Incidentally, the population of the USA is 326,474,000, which means there are more guns here than there are people.

I do not dispute that gun ownership for hunting and home protection is a protected right. I believe "stand your ground" laws make killing too easy. I believe gun laws need to be more consistent from state to state. Personally, I do not think someone should be allowed to buy a gun in a state that they do not reside (one of the recent killers from California purchased his guns in Nevada). I do not see anything wrong with more strict background checks and longer waiting periods.

One can argue that there are plenty of roadblocks in place now. Perhaps. But something is not working. We should not be seeing news reports of daily mass shootings. Why is it that in no country in the world do we read of their citizens performing gun acts of violence as occur here? Are the mass killings that have been happening to us on an increasing frequency the new normal? Are schools, hospitals, workplaces, shopping centers, churches, etc., to now be the accepted sites for target practice?

Whatever the answers are to stop this epidemic, we are clearly not doing it. Thoughts and prayers are not actions, they are nothing more than patting one's self on the back for a polite Christian response. "Business as usual is not a response. It is a moral shirking of our duties to protect the ones we love. I say...

Enough is enough!

 

A life led by example

Flowers Jenkins has passed away. Who, you ask? Flowers was one of the finest men I have had the privilege to know. When I started working at the food pantry seven and a half years ago, Flowers was one of the first people I met there. Like many of the volunteers at our pantry, Flowers was in his 80s (I am the youngest member of our pantry's staff). 

Flowers, an African-American man, was one of the most Christian people I have ever known. He lived the principles of Christ's teachings. He volunteered his time, energy, and presence at our pantry for the first six years I've been there, but his service certainly predated me by at least five or six years. His dedication to helping others was paramount.

Quick to wit, smart as a tack, funny, insightful, he was very astute to people's character. 

Flowers loved bringing in articles about the 50s and 60s civil rights movement of which he and his lovely wife were intimately involved. He also shared pages and pages of jokes, most of them corny, but don't we all need a good laugh (and a groaner) at times?

Flowers served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and with thanks to President Truman's executive order ending racial segregation in the Armed Forces, he served our nation as an Army officer.

Every week that I saw him, he always asked about my week. We shared stories of our military service (at the time we met, I was still in the Navy). 

Early last year, Flowers left our staff, he and his wife moved to Chicagoland to be closer to their children. He was a great family man and he was a humble father and l loved hearing him speak of his children of whom he was very proud. I only met his wife a few times, but she was always as kind as her husband. 

I thought them the perfect model for a happy marriage, and to be honest, I envied them both.

This morning when I was at the church office, Lou Anne, our church's manager, let me know Flowers died on Sunday. His wife had left a voicemail last night. We all were stunned as he had not heard he was ill. I was then given the unhappy task of letting our staff know of his passing. 

I will miss Flowers and honor his commitment to helping those less fortunate. He was a good man, a very good man, and I can only hope to measure up to the standards he set for himself. Those of us who had worked with him will miss him dearly.

God bless you, Flowers. I think the world will be less kind with your passing.