This newspaper comes out on the Fourth of July this year, our nation’s Independence Day, and despite the array of holiday parties planned for this weekend, we need no further reminder of the continuing price of freedom than the death of Poughkeepsie soldier Mark Palmateer in Afghanistan last week.
Spc. Palmateer, 38, along with soldiers from Queens and Minnesota, was killed on June 29 when the soldiers’ convoy was hit by improvised explosive devices, small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to a release from the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Palmateer, a member of the New York Army National Guard, was operating in the Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan. He is the first Dutchess County man to be killed in action in Afghanistan, and his death casts a pall on our observance of this week’s holiday.
The Fourth of July, of course, marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the very real birthday of the United States of America. It’s a time typically marked by summer parties – barbecues, family get-togethers and fireworks. And while none of that will change this year, it’s worth pausing to remember the sacrifice that Mark Palmateer – and our other fallen soldiers – have made for this country in the war on terror since 9/11. Regardless of your political stance on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the stark courage and honor required of soldiers like Palmateer is the same that was required more than 200 years ago, during the battle for our independence from England. It’s the same courage that was required during the world wars, and it’s the same courage demanded by military service through the ages.
It also puts the decision by many recent high school graduates to join the armed forces into perspective. The same week that Palmateer was killed, graduates from across the area were lauded. Some will be going to college, while others will be joining the work force – and some will be entering the military, preparing to give their lives in service to the United States. While that decision-making process for teenagers today is much different than it was during the Revolutionary War, the bravery and dedication required hasn’t changed. Because it sometimes demands that men like Palmateer – loved by family and friends alike – give their lives for the ideals that our country was founded on. Amid the cookouts and holiday parties, take some time to remember Mark Palmateer, and the other men and women serving this country. Because of them, our independence – a quality we too often take for granted – continues unabated. We are the greatest country on Earth, and we have the sacrifices of some of our bravest citizens to thank for it.
God bless America.