For most Americans, Memorial Day is the first day of summer.  We have a cook out or go to the beach. It has evolved into just another day off from work, but in truth, it is the closest we have to a religious observance in our secular country. For it is on this day we, as Americans, are to honor all those that have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms.

As a kid, I can still remember old timers referring to it as Decoration Day. This was conceived as a day to remember the fallen of the Civil War. But eventually it became a day to remember all those that died in every American war.  Veterans in their ill-fitting uniforms marched in parades. Children took part as did anyone that wanted.

Parades and memorial services have ebbed and grown over the years to match the mood of the nation. The day hit its nadir during the height of the Vietnam War when all things military, including past and present service members, were held in low regard by many. Fortunately, those days have receded into memory and the military people are thanked for their service.

For nearly 50 years, two young Stuart service men that died in the Vietnam War were never honored.  Richard Smith and Larry Turner each gave his life for the United States in a war that most Americans hated. And that was one of the reasons that their sacrifice was not rewarded. But that was not the only reason they were unrecognized.

For these two soldiers were African-Americans in a place still mired in racism at a time that still had some sanctioned segregation. It was not fair or right…it just was. The armed forces were long integrated by then, but unfortunately not our community. In some ways, it still isn’t. But on this Memorial Day, Stuart took one step closer to righting this particular wrong.

Through the efforts of Commissioner Jim Christie, City Manager Paul Nicoletti, and so many others regardless of  race, we came together to honor these fallen soldiers almost 50 years after their deaths. On Memorial Day, we dedicated Smith-Turner Park in final memory to their sacrifice. But it was more than that. It was an opportunity to help heal the sins of our past. Some of us in Stuart spent the day as it should be spent remembering our fallen heroes.