Thinking of you on Memorial Day, Pete. You are my hero.

Here in Jacksonville, FL... just west of Alltel Stadium... there stands a long, tall, black granite wall... a gentle but imposing arc which bears the names of some 1700 service men and women, with local ties, who have died while on active duty during wartime. The monument was designed without a plan to accommodate future wars... who knew there would be more war? So the names of those who have died during the wars of this century have not been included.

A headline in our newspaper today reads that 8 names are being added to a new panel; Pete's name is not on the list. But elsewhere the article mentions there are a total of 23 names on the new panel, so I wondered...

Last year, I was sad to think that Pete's sacrifice was not considered worthy of remembrance in the Memorial Day service held at this wall. The Florida Times-Union did not include him in their list; he had died during a routine training mission that was "only" backup to the war effort. He had survived his own tour of duty at An Undisclosed Location (not a combat zone) only to take on the "safe cushy job" (his term) which took his life in Sicily. I made some calls and finally was given the name and number of a remarkable man: Mr. Ray Moore. He told me what the paper omitted: that Pete's name WAS indeed read at the Memorial Day service last year. He also told me that people were working on the problem of accommodating new names into the monument... and he left me with a sense that Pete would not be left out.

It is primarily because of Mr. Moore that this local memorial exists at all. He pushed city government to approve and fund it; and for over 15 years he has dedicated his time to a painstaking search for the names that are carved into stone. He has combed through military lists for names with local ties. He has pored through newspaper articles (some available only on microfilm). He has contacted people at class reunions about classmates who have died during military service. He has made countless phone calls to try to assure accuracy and inclusiveness.

This morning, while city streets were still nearly empty, I drove the short distance to the Memorial Wall to see for myself... and touched my fingertips to each letter of Peter's name.

As I walked back to my car, I spoke to a man who had also been to see a name on the wall. I asked him who he had lost and learned it was his best childhood friend, a man who lost his life in 1971 shortly after returning to Viet Nam for a second tour. He said he comes to this wall to remember his friend.

I like knowing that Pete's friends can do that now, too.

And thanks, Jeanette, for your "visit" here to remember Pete.

Susan Ober

As I have stated before, I am the wife of an Army soldier who bravely served his country in the first Gulf War as a scout. We reflect on days like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, and the Fourth of July quietly by ourselves, and together with our boys. We try to explain to their young minds about sacrifice, courage, and the images of war and fighting that they see on TV. As I was looking for some heroes to explain sacrifice, not only did Pete come to mind, but a story that I had read in Sports Illustrated years ago while awaiting a dental visit. The story was on Nile Kinnick, an athlete who became the fifth recepient og the Heisman Trphy, and who was named Athlete of the Year by the AP in 1940, meaning he had beat out Joe DiMaggio and Joe Lewis. When Dec. 7, 1941 came around, Nile felt the need to leave his athletic life of "luxury" and serve. He was a Naval Aviation Cadet at the time of his death. He heroically crashed his plane in a field, rather than attempt a landing on a crowded airstrip. His parents received a letter the following week from him. In it, he had written: "Every man whom I have admired in history has willingly and courageously served his country's armed forces in times of danger. It is not only a duty, but honor, to follow their examples as best I know how."
It doesn't matter if a member of our Armed Forces dies protecting his platoon in Viet Nam, killing insurgents in Iraq, or training to better themselves and their branch of service to be prepared when their call to duty is heard.
Pete was a hero to me long ago, now, and forever. I am proud of his sacrifice, and greatful to my hometown of Jacksonville for adding his name to the wall of heroes. There are many definitions of the word, but the underlying connection is SACRIFICE. Thank you Pete, and the others who died with you, before you, and who will make the sacrifice. You are MEN.
I know I can be wordy, but the emotion is real and the pride is unmistakable.
God Bless!!
Jeanette