Every time we hear the story of Pfc. Andrew Small, we marvel. Ambushed while on patrol in Afghanistan in August 2006, wounded, and outnumbered, Small stood up and provided vital covering fire for his fellow soldiers until they were able to move to safety.
His actions are credited as the most significant reason members of his squad were able to survive the attack. Small died in combat that day facing the enemy, having fired his last bullet for his country.
It is tale of heroism ready-made for the big screen.
As Americans, as Wiscasset and Wiscasset-adjacent residents, we couldn’t be prouder of Small’s actions. Shouldn’t we all hope to be so brave when the crucible comes to us?
In a vacuum Small’s is heroic tale writ large, but in the real world it also the story of pain and loss.
Small was 19 years old. He stands tall in our mind’s eye as a full grown man, but as any parent will tell you, 19 is still way too young for almost anything. Barely a year before he earned the nation’s second highest honor for heroism, Small was walking the halls of Wiscasset High School.
This Memorial Day we appreciate Charlotte Boynton’s look at a couple of the local veterans we have lost in the nation’s service. It’s a reminder the stories of heroism and glory often come at great cost for someone. For the price of the freedoms Americans hold dear, all too often our military families bear the brunt.
Small is an American hero for the ages, but his family lives with his loss every day.
Dressed in parades, cookouts, and red, white, and blue bunting, Memorial Day is a day of mourning disguised as a holiday. No matter what you do or where you are this Memorial Day, please take time out to think of the sacrifices our military men and women, and their families, have made on our behalf. On their behalf, the least we can do is treasure the freedoms they have bought for us.
