Save The Franklin Battlefield, Inc | |||
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"In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls.
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The above words were spoken over 113 years ago on a
hallowed field in rural Pennsylvania where brave Americans, on both sides
of the conflict, once fought an incredible battle in 1863. Today, one can
return to that very “deathless field to ponder and dream,” as long as one
can do so over the sound of passing trucks on a nearby highway.
A wise philosopher once postulated that if we forget
our collective past, we are likely, indeed doomed, to repeat it. Ponder
his advice, and then consider your own past as an American. Were you born
in the 1920’s, 1930’s or 1940’s? If so, you no doubt recall the horrors of
the Second World War and the Korean Conflict. Were you born in the 1950’s
or 1960’s? Then perhaps you recall the Vietnam Conflict. Were you born in
the 1970’s or 1980’s? Then the Persian Gulf War must be an event that you
remember. Some would speculate that on September 10, 2001, many in this country had collectively forgotten Pearl Harbor, only to be tragically reminded the following day when terrorists again struck America by surprise. Whatever the case, we can perhaps all agree that while warfare is sadly sometimes necessary to defend our way of life, we certainly have no wish to unnecessarily revisit those days darkened by war. Simply put, we must remember and learn from our past to keep from repeating it.
I am an historic preservationist because I believe that
it is my duty as an American. I further believe that being an American is
a great privilege, and that such a privilege must never be taken for
granted. I literally stand in awe at the recollection of the brave men and
women who fought and often died to make this amazing, though never
perfect, nation what it is today. Reading about these brave souls inspires
me greatly-but visiting the actual places, the battlefields both here and
abroad where these events once transpired, is so much more meaningful.
Preserving this hallowed ground upon which our nation
was forged, and by doing so remembering our past, is vital, now more than
ever. Just look at today’s headlines in your newspapers and ask yourselves
if you’d like your children and grandchildren to repeat such tragic events
as those we’re now experiencing? Please do your part, indeed, your duty, as an American. Please save and preserve our hallowed battlefields!
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© 1997-2023 Save the Franklin Battlefield Inc. | |||