Parades and Heroes

            Fourth of July fireworks over the Albemarle Sound reminded us that we have a lot to celebrate in this country.  And we have every reason to honor the heroes who marched in our parades. 

            When I was a little boy I couldn’t wait for the parades.   Our small Rhode Island town featured two bands in our parades, an award-winning Boy Scout drum and bugle corps and an excellent brass band that practiced in a tiny meeting hall up the street.  When the windows were open on hot summer evenings, the sound of trumpets and trombones would cascade down the hill to entertain me.  My grandfather had played the cornet in that band and had also briefly served as the town sheriff when the meeting hall long ago doubled as a jail.
            One of the earliest parades I can remember honored the town’s last surviving veteran of the Civil War.   These days parades honor the last survivors of World War II.  It won’t be long before they are all gone.  One of them is my good friend and former neighbor, Fred Fletcher. 
            At the age of 19 Fred joined the Army Air Corps and was sent to England where he became a bombardier on a B-17 flying missions over Germany.  On June 19^th, 1944, his plane was shot down over France.  Fred parachuted to safety and was found by a French farmer who hid him for days in his barn.  Eventually, the Germans found Fred and held him in the magnificent medieval cathedral of Chartres.  He was later transported to a German POW camp where he managed to survive until he was rescued after the war ended.
            Fred came home, married Cel, his childhood sweetheart, and went to MIT on the GI Bill and got a degree in chemical engineering.  He and Cel then devoted their lives to raising  three sons, followed by four daughters.  It wasn’t until after they retired to Lake Canandaigua that Fred finally did something for himself: he bought a sailboat and named it “After Seven.”
            Last June my wife and I helped celebrate Fred’s 90^th birthday.  He was surrounded by his seven children and a passel of grandchildren and great grandchildren, plus many friends like us.            Next year Fred and Cel will celebrate their 70^th wedding anniversary.  I mention the anniversary, because such a milestone is very rare; seventy years of married life sets a standard that few can ever hope to match, not only for longevity, but also as examples of commitment and fidelity.  Having seen their children grow up, I can say that they had superb models to emulate.   Among other reflections on their parents’ values, there has not been a single divorce in this large family.
            As we celebrate our country’s independence in this month of July, we can honor the heroes that have made this country great.  Some became heroes through their valor on the battlefield, but many others, like Fred Fletcher, earned the honor through a life of dedication to their country, their families, their communities, and the ideals passed on to us by our Founders.          Here’s to you, Fred, and all our heroes.  Thank you.