Voice of Democracy - American Legion 2

   Fillmore Central student, Siri Corson placed second in the nation with Voice of Democracy audio essay program held by the VFW each year.

  This year’s Voice of Democracy theme was “Why is the veteran important?” Siri had grown up hearing stories of how her great-grandfather, Manford “Stub” Corson had fought bravely in WWII and, against all odds, had survived to come back to Minnesota and raise a family.

  Siri received a $21,000 Charles Kuralt Memorial Scholarship for her essay along with a VFW jacket, bag, essay book, and memories that she will treasure forever.

  The entire article written by Hannah Wingert about how Siri decided to enter the contest and the road that got her to the finals can be found in the March 27, 2023 edition of Fillmore County Journal. The following link will take you to the article.

Fillmore Central student second in nation with Voice of Democracy essay (fillmorecountyjournal.com)

   Siri was our guest speaker at the American Legion Post #40 Memorial Day Program where she spoke about her experience and her essay. This is her essay.

 

VOICE OF DEMOCRACY

Why the veteran is important and why we should thank them.

By Siri Corson

    What makes a veteran an important part of our society lies, not only in the act of laying one’s life down for the sake of the nation we call home, but also in their selflessness and integrity. It is found in the very nature of the men and women who witnessed the most terrifying and scarring acts of violence that transpired at the hands of man. After the war is done and they are called back home they continue to serve their community and be a living testament to those who built this country from the ground up. Through it all they live on with a heart of gold and the will of steel, bound hand in hand with the pride and unity of serving our nation. This is what makes a veteran great.

    There is no doubt about the physical toll that comes with war. My grandpa had told me over supper one evening how his own father would sit quietly at the table, the children eating as if nothing was wrong, while his dad picked small pieces of shrapnel from his arms and it clinked upon impact with the table . . . 15 years after being deployed. My grandpa talked about his father sitting in his armchair, paper in hand, refusing to talk about what he had seen. Eventually people stopped asking. His thousand-yard stare spoke for itself. My great-grandfather served our country, he served my family, he served for me. He took the brunt long ago so in the future his children, his wife, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren could live without fear. So I could live without fear.

    From injustice to slaughter, the things they have seen we cannot begin to fathom nor relate to. They have seen the wrath of soldiers at war and men killed even if they had or hadn’t the choice to fight in the first place. They have cried a thousand tears, for sorrow of their own lost or perhaps from witnessing just how cruel this world can be. Could you even imagine going on? After seeing a life cut its root like a tree being uprooted before it could ever touch the sky? This is true for those that saw the young boys who died before they had ever truly lived. Some have trod over the lifeless bodies of the men they may have befriended or have perhaps seen the struggling gasps of an enemy at the site of conflict and then . . to come home like nothing happened? The toll such things take on the mind are almost a greater burden than any scar caused by war.

    I am reminded often of just why we honor these important veterans. At every sports game the national anthem is played. I never cease to come under a spell of inspiration standing under the Friday night lights. The quiet steps to the center send pinpricks up my spine and goosebumps down my arm as they reach the fifty-yard line and face us. The first note, not yet played, is anticipated by the silence that hangs in the brisk evening air. When the anthem finally begins, the heartbeat of the drum takes the breath away from everyone in the stands. Looking forward, you see the stoic faces of the men who stand at attention. They seem to reflect silently, and you can see in their eyes the very nature of their soul. Are they listening to the few but proud voices who sing the anthem in a whisper, are they filled with pride for all they’ve done, or mourning inwardly for a child who never saw its mother or father come home? A silence for those young, and who passed on old. Or those who never got the chance to be old? It’s as if we can almost hear the American spirit bouncing beat out of their chests and the home of the brave resonating with every breath as the last note is played. The applause is well deserved, for those that are standing here before us are as proud and ready to be a piece of our community as ever. They deserve so much.

    In my eyes, laying down the world at the feet of those who sacrificed their hearts and minds for us is not enough. After all, they laid their world down for us a long time ago. Like someone laying down a stone in a violent river, they bridged our lives to peace. They cut through the thick and led us through thorns despite the knowledge that in the end it would be they who are cut by the thistles, for our sake. Tor our sake so we could come out in the end. We are unscathed. When will we start seeing the reason we came out unharmed.

    I have been thinking about writing this essay for a while as I hoped to give a voice to speak for us all. If I could ever have had the chance to meet my great-grandfather before he died, I would thank him for everything he had ever done. I will never get the chance, so I wanted to take it upon myself to let every single person who serves in this country know that you have done more than any person could ever ask. It’s the character of a veteran that makes them great and that deserves gratitude beyond a doubt. You’ve done more than a simple thanks can ever do justice for. You’ve done more than I and many others ever could, and for that you are a foundation on which our lives are built. Thank you. I want to say it to every veteran even though my voice is weak. I will shout it if I must. For now, I only write, in hopes y voice will carry. Thank you.

 

 Have questions or comments?  We welcome your opinion.  Please email your comments or suggestions to webmaster@lanesboroamericanlegion.org or call Anne at 507-460-9040. Thank you for your support.