Just days before the nation observed Veterans Day, a tribute to the late Walter Payton, a former Chicago Bears player, brought thousands of people to Soldier Field. Payton, doubtlessly a good man and top-rate athlete, had died of cancer at age 45, and his death, as the death of any human being, was a loss for all of us.
I do find it ironic, however, that thousands of fans would choose to spend hours on a beautiful November weekend to honor their “hero” when Veterans Day ceremonies, just days later, would be sparsely attended, mostly by aging veterans.
As the World War II veterans are dying at the rate of some 1,000 a day, they are passing into history. They have few Veterans Days left for the nation to show its appreciation for their remarkable feats in those long-ago days of their youth. If there were a tribute held for them and for all who served the nation in combat at the aptly named Soldier Field, I doubt that thousands of ordinary people would give up a weekend day to honor these heroes.
