This fall the angel of death visited six families in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Like so many people, we saw the headlines. We offered a silent prayer for the victims, and the preoccupations of life took over.

The tragic headlines from Iraq continued. They heralded the painful circumstances that had befallen the soldiers who came from small towns like Athens, Carbondale, Hallstead and Montrose.

We saw the words. We thought about the events, and then we moved on, or we thought we had moved on.

A conversation and an exchange of e-mail messages with a former student
personalized the story of these soldiers in a way that we will never forget.

Uncomfortable and haunting as it was, we felt her pain and her loss. Her suffering was real as were her anger and disbelief. Her friend was gone, and there was a void in her life that would not be filled.

Then it happened. We saw the larger picture. Hundreds of families in Pennsylvania and thousands of families across the country were feeling the same anxiousness…the same frustration…the same loss…the same pain.

We wanted to help. We wanted to give comfort. We wanted to do something that celebrates these men and their sacrifices. .

This episode of Windsor Park Stories, Tribute, is our attempt to do just that. It is dedicated to six men we never met, but men we admire, respect and celebrate:

Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Arnold, 27, Montrose;
Spc. Oliver J. Brown,19, Athens;
Spc. William Evans, 22, Hallstead ;
Staff Sgt. George A. Pugliese, 39, Carbondale;
Spec. Eric W. Slebodnik, 21, Carbondale;
Spc. Lee A. Wiegand, 20, Hallstead.

Tribute features an original composition, ‘Cause We’re Americans, by Greg O’Brien. The beauty of Greg’s words and the majesty of his voice set the tone for the episode.

Carole Lynn Campbell’s music carries the viewer through the emotional waters of the story.

Captain Patrick Murphy offers a compelling story that puts everything into context. His recollection of American servicemen and women at their very best
gives us a very good idea of what life was like for the six heroes from Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Messer’s Arnold, Brown, Evans, Pugliese, Slebodnik and Wiegand served America and the people of Iraqi with dignity and class.

None of us can ever erase the long and tortuous nights that their parents, loved ones, relatives and friends are experiencing. Tribute, however, is intended to recognize the courage and heroism of these men. It is our attempt to say thank you.

For those who will miss them the most, the words of Aeschylus may help:

In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.

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