I, too, stood at Arlington while my grandfather, Col. Wm. Anderson Raborg (15th Cav.) received the same honor your father received — and later my grandmother who lies beside him. In a small churchyard in West River, Maryland, my father, Colonel Ernest N. Cory, Jr. (10th Mountain Div.) received similar honor from the Maryland Old Guard. I am proud of their sacrifice. It caps a dozen generations of family sacrifice for our country. Yet, there is a greater sacrifice that goes unsung. As a writer, I hope you will consider how you might address it to future gnerations.

We honor our fallen volunteers in each conflict. We honor the life they sacrificed for our country. We seldom recognize the sacrifice their families make — sometimes for generations. The loss of the family breadwinner and male rolemodel, the resulting poverty and lack of higher education, is all part of the sacrifice made by those left behind when volunteers fall. The sacrifice can continue for generations.

For each fallen volunteer, there may be dozens of descendants that make the sacrifice, who continue for decades or more the struggle to regain what was lost. How can we find them, identify them, and honor them? It seems to me that this would be a suitable way to honor the fallen — recognise the continuing sacrife their families make. Yes, the project may be far too broad ever to accomplish. On the other hand, a good writer might inspire a worthy effort.