This week, I’m going to be celebrating our nation’s birthday all across Westchester, with stops in White Plains, Valhalla, Yonkers, Peekskill, Irvington, New Rochelle, Croton, and Pound Ridge. By Sunday, I’ll have shaken thousands of hands, made lots of new friends, and watched hundreds of bombs bursting in air. I’ll also have at least one snow cone – a personal Independence Day tradition since I was about five years old. All in all, a fun few days.
But on the 150th anniversary of the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg – when so many “gave the last full measure of devotion…[so] that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” – there’s one stop in particular that is more meaningful than the others.
Today, The Moving Wall, a traveling replica of the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, is in Hastings. I was honored to attend the opening, and humbled by the thought of how many brave Americans sacrificed everything to defend our country and extend the promise of freedom to more of the world. The Wall will be in Hastings until July 8th, so come visit before it moves on to its next stop in West Virginia.
Wishing you and yours a happy Fourth,
Noam