As we go into this Memorial Day weekend, I have to stop for a minute and think about all the sacrifices that have been made for us. Sacrifices that we will never know about in many cases. I cannot thank those that willingly risk their lives for our freedom enough. I am forever indebted to them and what they have given or were willing to give.
I know from my own experience, when my husband was deployed, I worried all the time while he was in the combat zone. We were lucky with the modern technology that I was able to hear from him frequently. In war’s past, that was not the case, months would go by without hearing from the loved one.
Also in war’s past, many more people were deployed to the combat zones and almost everyone knew someone firsthand that was serving or had served. Now very few actually deploy to a combat zone with all of the new modern warfare technology. Many people do not know anyone that has or is serving. This is causing many to not understand the importance of a strong military nor understand the sacrifice that comes with serving in the military.
America is a great nation, we have so much to be thankful for. Please remember this during the weekend and if you see a veteran, thank him or her for their sacrifice. Don’t forget the service Monday at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Bloomfield at 1pm.
Honoring Our Heroes
Here in Missouri near St. Louis overlooking the Mississippi River, we are honored to have the final resting place of more than 200,000 of our nation’s heroes. It is on these hallowed grounds that soldiers from every war in our history now lay at rest, and where each year we are saddened by the fact that more than 4,000 graves are added to this count that is already far too high.
The graves and markers at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery are a lasting tribute to the courage and selfless sacrifice of the individuals who have stood and fought for the freedoms we have today: Americans who put love of country above love of self; who risked life and limb so that our nation could continue to stand as a shining beacon of freedom and hope for the rest of the world.
But these measured rows of white markers in now peaceful fields must stand for something even more than this. As one veteran once remarked, “These simple markers list names and dates, they are no more than that. For you cannot see the pain on whitened stone or feel the loss of lives fully lived that might have been. It is not enough to delegate their memory to a marble pillar. We must forever etch their memory in our hearts as well as on stone.”
As we honor the memories of those who have fought and died for our nation this Memorial Day, let us vow to never forget the price that has been paid for the freedoms we enjoy, and to remember on each and every day that far too many of our best and our brightest have given their lives in defense of the way of life we hold dear. We as a nation must commit ourselves to their memory, for it was through their sacrifice that we have the freedom to live in peace.
Capitol News:
Legislature Approves Several Unheralded Bills to Help Missourians
While the General Assembly passed several important pieces of priority legislation that received ample amounts of media attention, the members of the House and Senate also pushed other bills to the governor’s desk that will make a substantive, positive difference in the lives of many Missouri families. In total, the legislature gave final approval to 131 pieces of legislation this session with 76 of those bills coming from the House and 55 from the Senate. Priority items like the welfare, medical malpractice and education reform packages received most of the headlines, but many other bills that will soon be law will also have a positive impact despite the fact they were largely ignored by the media.
Protecting Children (SB 341)
Legislation now on the governor’s desk takes several steps to ensure young people in Missouri are raised in safe and healthy environments. The bill will require licensed child care centers to follow current safe sleep standards recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children under the age of one.
The bill also requires all public, private, and parochial day care centers, preschools, and nursery schools to notify parents or guardians, upon request, of whether there are children at the facility with an immunization exemption.
The legislation also gives the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services authority to take action when it receives a report of a child under 14 with problem sexual behavior exhibiting inappropriate behavior against another child. Current law allows the division to investigate only abuse allegations against adults and other teens.
Treatment Coverage for Eating Disorders (SB 145)
The legislature approved a bill this session to provide assistance to Missourians who suffer from an eating disorder. The bill will require insurance companies to cover the diagnosis and medically necessary treatment of eating disorders. The bill is not a mandate on insurance, but lays out how eating disorder coverage decisions must be made.
Child-Safe Packaging for Liquid Nicotine (HB 531)
The increasing popularity of e-cigarettes led the legislature to approve a bill to put new safety standards in place to protect young people from the dangers of liquid nicotine. The bill is meant to ensure child safety and prevent accidental nicotine poisoning by requiring child resistant packaging. Individuals who engage in retail sales of liquid nicotine containers in Missouri in violation of these provisions must be assessed a fine of $250 for the first violation and $500 for each subsequent violation.
