“Freedom is not Free” is the motto of my daughter’s class of cadets who graduated last weekend and were subsequently commissioned as Army officers. As it was for too many of us, Memorial Day weekend was bittersweet.
My husband’s cousin, Army Pfc. Howard Gershen, rests in a cemetery in California. He was killed by an explosive device while serving as an infantryman in South Vietnam.
On the East coast, while touring the cemetery on the grounds at West Point, I scanned a map for the names of familiar war heroes. As my husband would remind me, “You don’t need to look very hard.”
Other heroes still walk the earth, like former Delta Force commander and Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, who currently serves as the academy’s Superintendent. He’s married to his West Point classmate. Last weekend, he stepped outside his home next to the barracks to shake hands with the families and friends of the cadets who were about to start the graduation parade on The Plain.
You may not be aware; I only learned this today.
“The Superintendent’s home supposedly hosts several ghost tenants. Famous psychic Lorraine Warren gathered many different energetic impressions throughout the rooms. ‘The front room on the south carried an impression of happiness and young children, the VIP bedroom houses a couple who were very much like a team, and in the basement offices of Sylvanus Thayer, Warren encountered a spirit of a man who was very decided, had no particular interest in women, and did not like to entertain except when business required it,’ said former Lt. Gen. William.”
— A. Knowlton in his memorandum requesting archived documents to verify the validity of Warren’s impressions.
Fifty-six years after our cousin’s death, our family has another solider. A few hours after her graduation at West Point on Saturday, I had the honor of offering my daughter her first salute as a second lieutenant during a commissioning ceremony led by the academy’s Jewish chaplain at Trophy Point, overlooking the Hudson River.
I’m beyond proud, but I’m also sobered by watching my child take an oath to serve her country. I took that same oath in the Air Force, though I was fortunate to never have seen combat. My one wish is for the safety of those who serve today.
To leave you with some levity, my daughter’s classmate saved her money and bought a pair of 4” Louboutin pumps to match her new Army uniform. Fitting choice of footwear for a soldier who held her commissioning ceremony at the nearby ski area.
Congratulations to 2nd Lt. Arielle Zlotnick! And a very good "Diary of a Nation" entry, Christina!
Congratulations!