Heroes bios an important goal for all

 Daily Local News, Editor’s Editorial, November 12, 2002 

Who can not admire the West Chester Men’s Service Club and the important goal it’s attempting to achieve?

Three years ago, the Chester County Hall of Heroes was dedicated in the courthouse in West Chester.  Through the work of the county commissioners, members of the club, and many other groups and individuals, a monument was built to honor the 585 men and women from the county who gave their lives while serving the United States in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

 The Hall is an significant and worthwhile project.  But since the monument was dedicated, an extremely difficult, yet very important task, has begun.

Some club members have been working toward writing brief biographies of every person remembered on that monument – all  585 of them – and then posting that information to the Hall of Heroes Web site (www.chesco.org/heroes/index.html).  It’s an admirable goal.  But it’s one that’s going to take a lot of time and effort. 

That’s because the intent is to have each biography include background (including relevant pictures) from the heroes’ life in Chester County, how and where they served, how they died, and other miscellaneous information culled from research in books, on the Internet, and with friends, acquaintances, and family members of the deceased. 

One of the most important goals of this project is to help those who are here today to remember that the folks who died were not just soldiers.   They were friends and neighbors and relatives – people – who lived and worked in the same communities where we live and work today. 

Last week, the Men’s Service Club announced its initiative to involve Chester County schools in helping with the biography project.   It’s a worthwhile goal and one that will help students learn about writing, world geography, history, researching, and the area where they live.  It will also give them a better sense of community and patriotism, learning about wheat made these heroes do what they did so that we can live in the fashion we do today.