County Heroes 2

Ten years ago, Cache Owner kelitha8 placed County Heroes 2, warning us that we may get a little sappy.

Dry weather produces an encore of brilliance on the northwest route to Bellefontaine. In the unseen cosmos, celestial rotations unfold the goodness and beauty of autumn before our eyes.

The business of harvest is well underway. Heavy equipment on farmland crushes the life of the soil, escalating the spiral of chemical fertilizers. Rural dwellers struggle with respiratory exposure to pesticides in the air they breathe and the ground beneath. Small farmers utilizing sustainable methods call soil back to life.

Our coordinates take us to a quiet spot where, 40 years ago, a monument was placed. On that day, the end of the Vietnam War was still fresh in memory. By 1973, over two million men had been drafted. The number not returning was 58,000.

As viewers watched the new comedy M*A*S*H unpack the horrors of war, public rejection of the draft solidified. The industrial war complex moved toward technology and equipment to keep contracts flowing. In the long overreach toward globalizing American power, Vietnam marches with Korea, Cambodia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. In this corner, each life is marked and remembered.

Living trees welcome us to pause, meditate, and yes, get sappy.

The roll is called for those who come to honor these heroes.

Rest proud and know that your valor was not in vain.