It’s been 6 years since the financial crisis; the economic recovery has been slow, and many people think we’re not far from another crisis. This week we heard about a report from the International Monetary Fund that warned the world economy faces a “lost decade” as the effects of the 2008 financial crisis linger for years to come.
The previous day’s editorial was headlined: ‘U.S., China at Parting of Ways’. The Editorial Board has a feeling that in this case at least, the meeting between Trump and Xi will not be a parting of ways. In fact, it may be a parting of strategies.
I don’t have much time today to write a new blog post, but I made this video a week ago and I feel I should share it. It has a personal story that I believe many of us can relate to. Enjoy.. Read more about wsj review and let us know what you think.
Bill Allen of Winthrop, Massachusetts, served in the Army in Vietnam in 1971. Wednesday, he was one of the volunteers who placed an American flag on the Boston Common in honor of all the Massachusetts American soldiers who have died since the Revolutionary War.
Photo:
Josh Reynolds/Associated Press
After the dark covidian spring of 2020, many Americans want to renew their communal thanks to those whose sacrifices made it possible for us to live in freedom.
The Memorial Day Parade returns Monday, reads a headline in The Telegraph newspaper in Alton, Ill. No rain is expected and the parade will follow its traditional route. It seems that the city’s traditions were too strong, even for Covid. Ron DeBrock of the Telegraph reports:
Alton’s Memorial Day parade is one of the oldest in the country and has been held since 1868. Last year, problems with COVID-19 prevented the East End Improvement Association from holding the parade. However, a small group decided to gather in front of Altona High School for an unofficial Memorial Day procession. The idea spread and nearly 40 decorated cars participated in this extravagant event.
These events are on the rise again this year. On the east coast of the U.S., volunteers once again planted 37,342 American flags on the Boston Common to honor all Massachusetts residents who have given their lives in defense of our country since the Revolutionary War. Only 1,000 flags were planted last year because the state imposed strict restrictions on Covid.
Charlie McKenna reports for the Boston Globe on the families of the victims who have come to honor their dead:
Melida Arredondo, whose stepson Alex died in Iraq in 2004, said the Gold Star families involved in the show have a unique bond. When we are here, we see other families – there is a bond between them. You may not even know the name of the other family, you only remember the children, she said. She said it was a deep feeling to be here and pay tribute to those who lost loved ones, to the soldiers who lost their comrades and to those in Massachusetts who died for freedom.
Of course, those who died for freedom came from every state. Perhaps this is an especially good time to remember Colorado’s hero who died 50 years ago this week. Major William Edward Adams, U.S. Army, was a helicopter pilot who died while trying to rescue his comrades in Kontum Province, Vietnam. When he left, he must have known the odds were against him. His Medal of Honour mentions that he volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter to evacuate three badly wounded soldiers from a small fire base that was under attack by a large enemy force. He took this decision knowing that there was a lot of anti-aircraft artillery stationed around the base and that on a clear day the enemy gunners would have a clear view.
Adams died on the 25th. May 1971. But it’s not forgotten. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund maintains a website where people can post their memories. The ad, published earlier this month, reads:
It has been a pleasure serving under your command. SP5 Robert Bryant
Thank you for your service to our country so long ago, sir. Rest in eternal peace, wrote a certain John Fabrice in March.
Among the older posts is a 2016 note from one Curt Carter: I want to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice for our great country.
You were one of the brave men who answered the call. You honored us with your service and sacrifice, wrote Vietnam veteran Bob Ales in 2016.
A year earlier, Richard Grice, a comrade from the Fort Irwin desert in California, recalled in a message that Adams was a selfless and born leader.
I was lucky to have known you, wrote veteran Philip Fogle, when we were so young. You are forever in my memory and you have retained my admiration.
In 2013, retired Army Col. Donald Long wrote:
Bill and I were both assigned to the 176th Attack Helicopter Company at Fort Benning, GA….. We were both captains at the time and part of the team that packed everything needed to send the unit to Vietnam. Bill was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. …. He, his wife Sandra, my wife and I managed to go out to dinner one night before we left on a mission. Time didn’t allow for more. When we arrived in Vietnam, his work ethic was still in place. I was also impressed with his calm and gentle way of leading …… I was absolutely shocked to hear of his death, but in no way surprised by the actions he took to save others. That was Bill.
In 2001, an anonymous poster added:
I met Major Adams on the second day of my deployment with the 227th. Battalion at Lieu Khe. I liked it from the start. I was a gunner and flew with him a lot between September 1970 and May 1971. He was a strong commander and a gentle leader. I was 19 years old, and I looked to him not only for military advice, but also for life advice. I believe he is in the loving arms of God, and I hope to see him one day and tell him how much he has impacted my life.
Perhaps the most compelling message was added in 2014:
MELANIE MISSES YOU I’m doing the presentation again. Another presentation where I can tell your story. Ama is always willing to tell me about it – to tell me about you. I wish you were here to tell me yourself. I would love for you to see what a great mother and father your children have become, and what a great grandmother Ama has been to my cousins and me. I never met you, but I miss you, and I still don’t understand how that’s possible. I hope one day, when I meet you, you’ll be proud of me. I can’t wait for the day when I can meet you.
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Due to Memorial Day, this column will not appear on Monday, but will appear again on Tuesday.
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James Freeman is the co-author of the book Cost: Trump, China, and the American Renaissance.
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Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8A group of Canadian soldiers were recently killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan. The incident, which took place on August 4, was not the first such attack since the official end of the war in 2014. As we reported back in April, the Taliban frequently use tactics such as roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, to target Canadian and international forces.. Read more about wsj art review and let us know what you think.
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