A hero: Bob Stone served his country with honor

When you lose a man like Bob Stone, there is a hole in the place where a hero once stood.

Stone, a Silver Star recipient, served his country with heroics that would make any military man proud -- and any nation grateful.

It is hard to understand the courage it takes to serve and the toll it takes on your well-being and family when you come home.

Many of those who do come home -- especially those who have served with exceptional valor -- do not like to talk about what they went through or the stress they endured.

They would prefer instead to talk about the men who served with them -- and the ones who did not make it back to their families.

"Hero" is not a word in their vocabulary -- at least not as it applies to their own service. They think there are many others who deserve that title more.

And that is the kind of hero Bob Stone was.

Americans sometimes forget the men who served their country. They take for granted the freedom they have because of generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who stormed foreign shores and fought in jungles and the European countryside.

Bob Stone's loss is a chance to remember and to salute those who are still around to thank.

And that, rather than going on about his own accomplishments, is exactly what Bob Stone would have wanted.

Published in Editorials on January 24, 2011 11:06 AM