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Earlier this month, I joined my American Legion Post #238, in Woodland Park, for their annual ruck walk through town where the post visits the homes of veterans to thank them for their service and pay their respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We stopped at the street signs named after service members who were killed in action and read aloud their stories.
Our stop at Van Winkle Court was especially meaningful. West Paterson resident Spc. Harold (Hatchie) Van Winkle, Jr., was killed in action in Vietnam. His friend, Robert Kowalik, lives on the street that now bears his name.
Van Winkle Ct [[link removed]]
I got the chance to speak with Robert and talk about his experiences both in and out of service. He felt camaraderie with the younger members of Post #238, many of whom served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spoke of the disconnect he felt with civilians upon coming home.
Robert movingly quoted Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address while honoring Hatchie, and I wanted to share a piece of that speech with you today:
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
The solemnity of Spc. Van Winkle’s last full measure of devotion to our country, our ideals, and our freedom lives on with those who loved him. Every year, I spend Memorial Day weekend commemorating our fallen heroes, and I am grateful to live in a community that honors this sacrifice and holds close the families that have lost a loved one.
Wishing you and your family a safe and healthy Memorial Day.
Mikie

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Mikie Sherrill for Congress
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Mikie Sherrill was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Use of her military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.
www.MikieSherrill.com [[link removed]]