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The Observer | www.theobserver.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Thoughts & Views EDITORIAL
In honor of Joseph ‘Pal Joey’ Bianchi
In thanks to all who made the supreme & ultimate sacrifice
Photo courtesy of Mayor Daniel Pronti
The Borough of North Arlington recently dedicated a monument on Ridge Road in a cove park — outside Holy Cross Cemetery and directly across the street from his business — to the late former Mayor Joseph P. ‘Pal Joey’ Bianchi. The monument includes ‘The Fireman’s Prayer,’ as Bianchi was a long-time firefighter whose illness was attributed, in part, to the time he spent at Ground Zero, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Seen here are borough officials and Bianchi’s family at the dedication on May 2.
H
ow fortunate are we to live in a time where, for the most part, our world is at peace. It is, indeed, very sad there are some places — the Middle East, Israel and several other locations come to mind — where peace just doesn’t seem possible. But for us, in America, we can say that there has not been a major terrorist attack on our soil since that awful Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 lives, many Americans, were lost in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., nearly 20 years ago. We may say this because our military is the strongest in the world and so many women and men have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live freely and without the fear of attacks — whether domestic or international. Among many offensives, including the first Gulf War, Korea, Vietnam, World Wars I & II and the most recent ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, countless lives have been lost in battle. And many of those lives were most recently lost by people who decided, on their own and without a draft, that it was important to serve this great country. Most asked for nothing in return. And as the old saying goes, all gave some, while some gave all. Having had a muted celebration of Memorial Day 2021, still in large part because of the Coronavirus, we take time to pause to remember all the lives lost by those who served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. And though Memorial Day’s stated intent is to remember those who died in service, we also take time to remember all those who are currently serving — or who have served — and fortunately made it home alive. We are grateful to the countless women and men who put on the uniform to fight so that we may all live without fear. Our world may not be perfect — we’ve learned that all too well in the last two years — but the sacrifices our military makes in service to the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” have, indeed, made us a more perfect union. May we never forget those who left their homes, loved ones and friends one day, never ever to return. Editor’s note: This editorial originally appeared May 27, 2020. It was slightly updated for 2021.
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