God Bless America!

The burial grounds for US Veterans are considered sacred and solemn with the highest level of respect bestowed on not just these grave sites but also their settings and surrounding spaces. This is how we were taught and this is how we were raised as Americans. This is one thing that even Republicans and Democrats (and yes Tea Partiers) all agree on. Most would even agree that a similar level of respect should be bestowed upon distinguished public institutions, libraries, archives, and, yes, places such as National Historic Sites & Landmark Districts. But what about a place that includes all of the above? And the veteran buried at the site happened to be a US President. And the site has an official military color guard and ceremony honoring this US President each year. And it’s not just any President, but the Honorable Harry S Truman who served as a Captain in WWI, whose leadership ended WWII while rebuilding and maintaining freedom in post-war Europe, and who desegregated the military. Such an important place would not only be desirable to have in one’s community but you would think that it would attract other reputable institutions along with public and private community investments. So how has that worked here in Independence? To answer this, I would invite you to park your car at the WWI Memorial Building and march towards the Truman Library on Pleasant Street past the abandon Palmer ISD building, past the plywood covered windows along the way, watching your step on the crumbling concrete and mud sidewalks, through McCoy Park, under the buzz of the towering high-voltage power lines, below the crumbling concrete bridge with painted-over graffiti, adjacent to the eroded bridge embankments, up the hill, past the ISD building with the tall cell phone tower (which is actually visible from the Library courtyard & grave site), and eventually to the front steps of the beautifully designed and landscaped grounds of the Truman Library and eternal resting place of one of the great American Presidents and military veterans. And this stair and entrance into the Library is mostly visible along this Pleasant Street route. To host this site is a privilege and honor for our community but it comes with responsibilities that, if we do not take seriously, the entire world notices. We can and should do a better job in respecting this place and its surroundings not just as a demonstration of community pride but, more importantly, as an expression of our love of Country. This is how I was taught and this is how I was raised as an American.