For the fallen and their families
While the peace that follows most wars is celebrated, and the tyranny that caused them is hopefully vanquished, war itself is a horrible thing. But The American Legion is one legacy from the Great War – “the war to end all wars” – that is worth embracing.
One hundred years ago, nearly 2 million doughboys – and yes, some “doughgirls” – left the comfort and security of America to risk their lives for freedom abroad. Of these, 320,518 were killed or wounded. We often honor them at Memorial Day observances by reading “In Flanders Fields,” Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae’s famous poem that forever associated poppies with the war’s fallen.
Those who returned home and established American Legion posts in their communities reflected the racial, ethnic and class diversity of the American Expeditionary Forces.
As a son of South Carolina’s governor, Wyndham Meredith Manning probably could have found a way to avoid military service. But it was expected of his family, and not only did Manning serve honorably in uniform, he went on to serve in South Carolina’s legislature and as founding commander of Richland American Legion Post 6 in Columbia.
His brother, Maj. William Sinkler Manning, epitomized the fighting spirit of the bravest doughboys. According to a New York Times article, Manning led a charge up a German-held hill in the closing days of the war. With rumors circulating that Germany had already agreed to President Woodrow Wilson’s terms for surrender, the temptation to hold back must have been strong.
“Holding back” was not part of William Manning’s vocabulary. He advanced on that hill, which was heavily occupied with enemy machine gunners and snipers. He was shot through the head. When his comrades recovered his body, he was wearing a black cape – certain to inspire bravery among his men. Also inspirational was the configuration of the major’s body, which had his pistol extended forward, aimed toward a machine gun nest.
Friends, that is valor. And that is the self-sacrifice a select group of Americans has made from the Revolutionary War through today’s global war on terrorism. It is why we remember them.
Earlier this year, another American hero made the ultimate sacrifice. Christopher T. “Tripp” Zanetis did not need to be in Iraq. A veteran of two previous tours, he’d already sacrificed more than most Americans. Yet he continued to serve his country. After 9/11, he was inspired to join the New York City Fire Department. And like so many of New York’s bravest who lost their lives in the World Trade Center that day, Tripp’s life ended prematurely when the 37-year-old member of the New York Air National Guard was killed in a helicopter crash near the Syrian border in March.
While we wish that World War I really had been the war to end all wars, we know otherwise. So as long as there are Americans like William Manning and Christopher Zanetis sacrificing to keep the world safe and our people free, The American Legion will exist. For them and their families.