Michael Jackson is dead. Farrah Fawcett is dead. Ed McMahon is dead. Billy Mays is dead. John Brown Jr., Thomas Claw, Willie Kescoli Begay, and Matthew Martin are dead. Which of these names don't you know? Most likely the last four. I had never heard of them until this week. These four men were Navajo Code Talkers. They served our country. It has been said that, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." That is how important what these men did was. And yet, in the light of the celebrity deaths their deaths have gone almost unmentioned in the news. Celebrity is given more respect than service in our culture. I think that is to be abhorred.
I don't mean to say that the celebrities deaths were not tragic; however, I do think they need to be put into perspective. The world is grieving, but more importantly spouses, children, and friends are grieving. The world may have lost the talent of these people, but we didn't really lose them because we didn't know them.
Hear, hear! I did find myself thinking how crazy it is that a nice lady like Farrah Fawcett has hardly received any news coverage and MJ is dominating every entertainment site/blog/ etc and I'm sorry but that bugs me. Thank you for educating us on the importance the lost lives of those Navajos once lived.
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