by Captain Adam Kinzinger
His name was Harry Arthur, and he lived in Bloomington. He dropped out of school after graduating 8th grade, determined to go make a living without a degree. He started out on the family farm working long days as many boys did at the time, and he had his eye on a young lady from Congerville who grabbed his attention. It all seemed like the perfect life, but that would suddenly change one fateful day – the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A few years later, Harry’s life would exit the soft path as he left his family and picked up a rifle in the Army Air Corps. He would train as a recon car commander, though that was a cover. His real job remains a secret to those who knew him.
I knew him. Harry was my grandfather, and in March of 2003 while America was engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, he passed away peacefully at a hospital in Kankakee. He was part of the generations of men and women who stood up for freedom and liberty to defend our great national experiment – many of whom we honor each Memorial Day. They understood that America, though fierce and powerful, was also fragile and in need of patriots to make the ultimate sacrifice on her behalf. My grandpa was part of the “greatest generation,” and I am so proud of his legacy.
I joined the Air Force in 2001, eventually leaving for pilot training in the fall of 2003. Like thousands of others, I was motivated by the extreme horror that was brought upon our shores by a group of terrorists who are bent on destroying our way of life – a way of life my grandfather sacrificed dearly to preserve. This isn’t a story about me, and what was my motivating call. This is a story about the new “greatest generation,” the brave Americans I fought with who sacrificed their families, jobs, college, and sometimes their lives, because they knew that America is a fragile experiment worth defending.
As you watch the news of politics, disasters, wars, and famines, understand that in all the bad news, there is a tower of hope in which we can all take refuge. A place where differences are respected, ideas are debated, truth is paramount, and liberty is preserved. Sometimes that place is threatened by storms and legions of evil that rise against it. But fear not: for when that tower is threatened, you can rest assured that those who call it home will defend it. This place we humbly call America.
So today we honor my Grandfather, and the scores of others who have given their lives. We honor the nameless soldier in WWI, the pilot in WWII, the artilleryman in Korea, the draftee in Vietnam, the tank driver in Desert Storm, the platoon leader in the War on Terror, and so many others. We honor that pair of empty boots and M4 rifle that I saluted my first day in Iraq a few years ago that belonged to an American hero who laid it down in service to all of us. May we never forget, never assume, and most importantly, never take for granted our liberty and freedom.
America sleep well, your heroes stand guard.
Adam Kinzinger is a captain in the Air National Guard and has served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. A graduate of Illinois State University, he is a candidate for U.S. Congress in the 11th District.
