AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL by JoAnn Semones
The somber roll of muffled drums trailing a black draped caisson still echoes in my mind. On a radiant morning following Memorial Day 1971, the most decorated soldier of World War II is being laid to rest. Gunfire sounds in salute as the walnut casket, wreathed in red, white and blue carnations, is placed beneath a giant white oak tree in Arlington National Cemetery. When the last volley is fired and the flag folded and presented, the military band disappears slowly over the hill to strains of America, The Beautiful.
Audie Murphy was my childhood hero; so was my Dad. The two men lived disparate lives, yet they shared the common experience of serving their country in the North African, European and Mediterranean Campaigns of World War II. Audie was a sharecroppers son from Kingston, Texas. As part of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, he won more medals for valor, including the Medal of Honor, than any man in World War II. Dad came from a line of Pennsylvania steel mill workers. As a bombardier with the 15th Air Force, he completed 50 harrowing flying missions, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.
You are an important cog in a great machine,@ Dad=s bombardier training manual said, a machine you must ever regard as far more important than you or your personal problems. Audie and Dad were steadfast in this purpose. Under conditions of extreme mental and physical stress, confronted with obstacles nearly impossible to overcome, they gave nothing less than their best. In the process, they gave the rest of the world lessons in initiative and fidelity. The code of duty well performed, of honor in all things, of country above self is the unwritten, unspoken tenet on which acts of courage are based.
In the warm, golden air of August 1991, Dad takes his place among fallen comrades. Shots are fired in salute, a lone bugler plays Taps, and the flag is presented in recognition of devoted and selfless service to our country. In final tribute, I join hands with my family to sing, America, The Beautiful. I don’t believe in war, but I do believe in heroes.
JoAnn lives and writes in Half Moon Bay. She wants to thank her Father for giving her the love of music.