On May 30, 2012, the traditional Memorial Day in America,
Emma Hawthorn spoke to the Cardin community about her experiences in the Marines
during the early 1980’s. Emma is the
mother of Dan Kornberg-Porter, a 2007 graduate of Cardin. Ms. Hawthorn was stationed in Beirut,
Lebanon and described the aftermath of the October 23, 1983 truck bombing of
the American peace keeping force that suffered 241 fatalities. Her story was emotional, personal, and
powerful. Ms. Hawthorn shared pictures
of soldiers she knew that died because of the bombing. Her stories brought clarity and perspective to
the notion of war in distant lands. Our
students asked perceptive questions and were highly interested in these
stories. The Cardin community owes a
debt of gratitude to Emma Hawthorn for giving her time to our students.
For me, Memorial Day is a time to reflect, pray for those
who have served and are currently in harm’s way, and express gratitude to all
who have served our country to protect the freedoms we cherish. No matter what our political leanings, the
country unites and honors all who have served.
I know individuals who have served in every American War, from World War
II to Afghanistan. I pray for these
individuals that I know, and say aloud the names of the latest Afghanistan
fatalities listed in the newspaper. I
try to have this moment of prayer every week when the weekly fatalities are
published. I honor all those who have
served to protect our American way of life.
Bob Cantor- Social Studies Teacher
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