EDITORIAL: Memorial Day The fight for rights and freedom never ends
May 29—Why it matters: Memorial Day reminds us that the ideas of taking action against evil and honoring the sacrifice of veterans are things that unite us.
The 1st Minnesota regiment signed up for the Civil War first, became the most experienced soldiers in the Union Army with battles at Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg and turned the tide of the war for the Union with its horrific sacrifices at Gettysburg.
William Henry Wikoff of Mankato was a 20-something soldier from Mankato and took a position on the regiment's far left flank during the battle. He was shot through the heart and died instantly. The casualty rate, 47 left to fight out of 262, was the highest of all the battles of the Civil War.
Nearly 10,000 Minnesotans died in World War II suffering the carnage of D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, where, historians say, the allies stopped Hitler from breaking through the European front and delaying the war that would have allowed Nazi Germany to develop the atomic bomb first.
The world we stand in today would be far different without these sacrifices. It's likely tyranny and oppression would rule instead of freedom and democracy.
These are things to remember and hold close on Memorial Day.
American soldiers paid the ultimate price in many other wars including the American Revolution, the War of 1812, World War I, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. But many also paid costs they live with every day from war wounds and mental illness and trauma to sicknesses from things like Agent Orange.
They're living reminders of the cost we pay for walking down tree-lined streets on sunny days and sitting by calm lakes sparkling in the daylight and glowing in the moonlight. Because of them we're free to practice a religion of our choosing, or none, we're free to speak our minds and petition our government for redress of grievances.
Here's hoping every day can in some way remind us that our freedom must constantly be protected and preserved, and we can recognize the sanctity of the sacrifice of soldiers past, present and future.
