Hometown pride
I have always been proud of my hometown, Columbus, Mississippi, however, every Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, my pride in my hometown expands to that of a huge balloon. Many, maybe most, historians trace the actual beginning of this special holiday to Friendship Cemetery in Columbus. Factual evidence bears out that four nurses in Columbus laid a chaplet of flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers of both Confederate and Union soldiers buried at Friendship Cemetery one year after the end of the Civil War.
Every year my heart swells with so much pride that the sacrifices of both sides were respected with honor by ladies of such an honored profession, Nursing. Isn’t this a great thought for today’s world of politics as we enter this year’s presidential election. Since women are such a big part of the nursing profession, wouldn’t it be appropriate for all ladies who are nurses to be honored in some manner during this week’s Eve Women’s Summit.
Your headline in this past Sunday paper was Women Empowering Women. Isn’t what happened in Columbus over 150 years ago really about Women Empowering the World. Thank you Columbus.
John Carson
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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