Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

What do you value? What are your values? For 20 years my siblings and I have placed flowers on the graves of our uncles at Fort Snelling, my dad’s brother and my mother’s brother-in-law. They served the United States in WWII. They continue to deserve to be honored for their service fighting for freedom, not only for the United States, but also for our allies.

I have not been to the grave of my Uncle Bjarne Xavier. He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery just outside of Saint-Avold, France. He is buried in that cemetery with 10,488 United States soldiers who gave their lives fighting for freedom for us and for our allies in Europe.

My father, Valdemar Xavier, was called into active duty in the months leading up to WWII. He got a seven-day pass to come back to Minnesota to propose to Elna Johnson. He got that job done. However, in the middle of that seven-day pass, Pearl Harbor was bombed. All passes were canceled.

My brother Brian Xavier is a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. Later he played for many years in the 451st Army Reserve Band at Fort Snelling. One of his proud moments was in 1994 playing with the 451st Army Reserve Band for the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France, honoring those who gave their lives.

All who serve or have served in the armed forces deserve honor and praise. Two Memorial Day events are special memories. When I was young, we went to my mother’s hometown. A young Sen. Hubert Humphrey spoke that day. It was a day to honor those who selflessly served the United States. In 1997 my father and I attended the Memorial Day event in Albert Lea at Graceland cemetery. All gathered there honored the last surviving Freeborn County veteran of WWI. He deserved the honor and praise.

Do you value our veterans? Are you one who attends Memorial Day events to honor those who serve? Are you one who places a flower or flag at the grave of a relative who answered the call to serve? In this century, after the World Trade Center event, many individuals made personal sacrifices to join the United States Armed Forces. Perhaps the most famous is professional football player Pat Tillman. He gave up a professional career and then his life. He deserves honor and praise.

Because of his core values Donald Trump is unable to honestly honor veterans. He cannot intellectually accept that a rational person would risk everything for the sake of the United States. He has no regard for our longtime allies in fighting for freedom. His measure is always personal gain, “What do I get out of it?” He has scorn for sacrifices made for the sake of someone else.

If you value veterans, vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Vote for Tina Smith. Vote for veteran Dan Feehan. Vote for Thomas Martinez. Vote for Dan Sparks.

Joel Xavier

Ellendale