THE HIGH PRICE OF RESISTING TYRANNY

Americans celebrate Memorial Day Monday, a holiday designated in 1868 to commemorate those who gave their lives to preserve the nation's freedom. Established in the near aftermath of the Civil War, early celebrants probably held no illusions the holiday would endure without more blood being shed in the name of liberty. Unfortunately, that outlook proved true. And we stand at Memorial Day 1994 with the United States at peace, yet with the grim and certain knowledge that circumstances will again call American fighting forces into harm's way to protect our freedoms and validate the principles for which this nation stands.

Eleven wars have claimed more than 1.2 million American lives, a devastating toll. And while the reasons for war vary and the science and strategy of warfare have dramatically changed, the resolve of those who fought and died remains remarkably intact. The duty felt by the soldiers who died at Bull Run was not substantially different from that felt by the kindred fighting men who lost their lives at Inchon or Khe Sanh or Mogadishu. Generation after generation, America produces a brand of citizen that sees the cause of freedom as something that requires sacrifices to maintain. Self-chastisement becomes fashionable from time to time with regard to a supposed softness that defines our national will. We don't see it. When the time comes to fight for our collective beliefs, American fighting forces have not yet failed to answer the call.

In the coming week, in this newspaper and elsewhere, considerable attention will be focused on the 50th anniversary of D-Day, the June 6, 1944, invasion of Hitler's Europe by Allied forces in World War II. More than two years into its war effort, the United States put more than 1.5 million troops in Great Britain in preparation for the attack on Axis forces in occupied France. By the end of June, more than a million American fighting men were in France. In the Normandy American Military Cemetery, located near some of the most ferocious fighting of the war, there are 9,386 servicemen buried, with a wall denoting another 1,557 missing in action. Each grave marker at that battlefield, and at battlefields around the globe, declares the high price of resisting tyranny. In the five decades since D-Day, Americans have continued to measure up to this challenge, in Korea, in Vietnam, in Kuwait and elsewhere on the planet.

The burden of sustaining freedom is a heavy one. Our world accommodates military "drawdowns" these days, though trouble spots exist and could call our forces into action at any time. Our readiness to protect liberty must remain inviolate, though our love of peace will not subside. Prior to sending his troops into battle on D-Day, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower asked them to "beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking." By "undertaking," he meant not just the battle at hand, but the ongoing struggle to protect the most fundamental American principle. This Memorial Day, we again pay tribute to those who gave their lives in that struggle.

PATRIOTIC MUSIC

To honor veterans of this region and kick off the summer outdoor concert season, the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will feature a special musical program at the Capaha Park shell Monday. The program begins at 8 p.m. and will feature a patriotic selection of songs.

These programs by the Municipal Band are always especially stirring, and this one should provide a fitting closure to the holiday weekend. It is free, and we urge people of the area to partake in this evening of music in the park.