This Civil War monument sits in a quaint "Town Square" in my (Semi) hometown of Bainbridge NY. I say semi, because my "real" hometown is LeRoy NY, a small town between Buffalo and Rochester. My adopted hometown became Bainbridge when my family moved there in 1983. What a blessing the Lord provided in this move. I didn't know it at the time but I would meet my future wife, Barbara, in the neighboring town of Sidney. (More on that in a later Blog.) Bainbridge has changed a lot over the years, but the small park nestled in the Southeast section of town hasn't. The monument still stands as a silent vigil over the four corners of Main Street. I must have passed by this monument hundreds of times over the last 25 years, but never realized the men it represented. What a great sacrifice they gave in defense of their country during those four long years of war. I see the monument differently now when I pass by. Chances are there is a similar monument near you, from the Revolutionary War on up to the war in Iraq. The next time you pass by it, give a thought to the men,who as President Abraham Lincoln stated in The Gettysburg Address, "Gave their last full measure of devotion."
