Service to country: Veterans then and now

A fighter pilot from World War II and the Korean conflict died last week. You may have heard the name, but you might not know of his record of military service to his country. He was Ed McMahon.

Before he was the "Tonight Show" sidekick to the late Johnny Carson, McMahon was one of that generation of Americans who helped defend our country and free others from tyranny and then came home to raise their families and hope to God that their children didn’t have to endure what they did.

Carson was also a World War II veteran.

     Carson was also a World War II veteran. You rarely heard the two TV pals discuss their service in serious terms. It was just something they did and then got on with their lives. But their service should be remembered.

McMahon enlisted in the Marine Corps near the end of World War II and became a figher pilot. He did not see combat in that war, but he would later. Like many other young veterans — Ted Williams comes to mind — McMahon was recalled during the Korean War. He flew dozens of missions in 15 months, winning six Air Medals. And like many other veterans — Air Force Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart of Hollywood fame, for one — McMahon stayed active in the reserves thereafter.

The veterans of those earlier conflicts are leaving us at an increasing rate. Their ranks have been taken by a whole new generation of quiet, young Americans who are doing a difficult job of trying to keep our country safe in some very dangerous corners of the globe.

One of the new generation, Army Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo of Salem, was buried in his hometown yesterday. He turned down a college scholarship to join the Army and was killed while disarming a roadside bomb in Iraq earlier this month.

As New Hampshire and the nation look forward to a holiday weekend and America’s birthday, we thank the veterans still with us and we say a prayer for those who are still on the front lines for us.