Published: September 02, 2009 08:55 am      

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Display the American Flag on Sept. 11

“We didn’t have money, so we had to think.” That is a simple sentence with a challenge for uncertain economic times. The man who said it faced challenges all his life.

New Zealand native Sir Ernest Rutherford has been called the father of nuclear physics and future giants in physics, Niels Bohr, James Chadwick and Robert Oppenheimer, studied under him. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1908 he went on to discover the atomic nucleus and was the first human to create a “nuclear reaction,” though a weak one. He worked with such intensity he was nicknamed the crocodile. Rutherford’s life (1871-1937) was filled with more challenges than money and our world benefited from all the times he “had to think.”

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You may have received this e-mail that came to me recently. On Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office and store in the United States. Every individual should make it a duty to display on this, the eighth anniversary of one of our country’s worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, their families, friends, and loved ones who continue to endure the pain and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedom.

During the service celebrating Sen. Ted Kennedy’s life one speaker told that after Sept. 11 the senator made a phone call to each Massachusetts family who lost a loved one in that tragedy. He did not stop there but each year after on that date he sent a personal letter to those families. Flying the red, white and blue is a small gesture anyone can do in remembrance.

This year my calendar from the Paralyzed Veterans of America is one that indicates the dates when the flag should be flown. For 2009 those September dates are VJ Day Sept. 2, Labor Day Sept. 7, Patriot’s Day Sept. 11 and MIA Day Sept. 18.

This organization was formed in 1946 because many veterans of WWII had suffered spinal cord injuries. At that time they faced a bleak future because there had been little research done on these cases. Paralyzed veterans from across the country joined together and the Paralyzed Veterans of America was born to deal with their unique problems and the many challenges they faced.

Crossville can be proud that for the past two years there has been a Veterans Appreciation Day held on Sept. 11. Again this year the third event will be held at the St. George Marina in Fairfield Glade. It was Ron Dyer’s idea. He remembered the telegram his mother received informing her that her husband had been killed in action during D-Day, 1944. He thought of the hard times the soldiers and their families endured during those WWII days and he decided to do something about it. Tim Oliver, founder owner of Timco Construction, became a sponsor of the effort to thank veterans of the many wars the United States has fought. All who attend the noon to 6 p.m. event are asked to bring a gift that can be taken to the VA Hospital. Socks, shirts, shorts or personal hygiene items will be distributed by Veterans Service Officer Mark Daniels.

Worrying about the economy diminishes when we consider how many good things have happened because individuals scarred by circumstances found a way to help others.