Bob was a man of a type common to his generation, but, I fear, becoming rare in our world today. When the freedoms we hold dear were threatened, not only in this country, but throughout the world itself. At a time when many of our brothers in foreign lands had already become victim of, and many more were in danger of, becoming enslaved to what may be one of the most horrific evils to walk the earth. An evil that is always present, but well hidden. An evil that took the form of an unknown misfit, by the name of Hitler, who used his twisted genius to rise to power on a scale previously unknown to mankind. Bob and his comrades were there to put this evil down.

In many ways, Bob was a common man. A hard working, family man, husband, father, grandfather. A man who might have lived a quiet life, unknown by most, in a quiet community in the peacefulness of the Midwest.

But this exterior appearance was deceiving. Beneath the surface was a core, of the strongest qualities, that have marked the greatest of men of character. Without hesitation Bob joined the others of his generation to risk all they had, life and limb, to battle and defeat the evil which now prowled their world.

Bob and those like him did something that, I fear, may no longer be possible. Something which may be beyond the powers of those of us who now enjoy the fruits of his sacrifice.

They defeated this evil and, in fact, liberated and saved the world. Bob paid a price. He was wounded in a foreign land, but he survived and he did not complain, and was deservedly proud of what he and his comrades had done.

We can only pray that the events of his times, another war the likes of World War II, will never occur again. I’m not sure how many men of Bob’s stature now walk among us to meet the challenge?

Some may call it a coincidence, others the will of God, I don’t think it matters. But I think we can all benefit from, and become better persons, upon reflection on the meaning of the date of Bob’s passing. On the day that we set aside to celebrate the Independence and Freedoms, that many of us take for granted, Bob was taken from us. This should remind us to honor, and hold dear, the freedoms that Bob made it possible for us to enjoy. THANK YOU BOB!