The spectacle of soldiers departing for war zones has become all too frequent since Sept. 11, 2001. From mid-May through today, 2,400 members of the Minnesota National Guard received sendoffs at armories across the state, including West St. Paul, Bloomington, Maplewood and Fort Snelling this week alone.
Many of these events have received little notice, perhaps because they have become such regular events. We want those soldiers and their families to know how much their departure from home and their service to our country mean to us.
This is a large deployment of the 1st brigade combat team, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division – the second largest single departure of Minnesota National Guard members since World War II. They will be stationed in Kuwait for one year to support the pullout of U.S. soldiers from neighboring Iraq, and their duties will include base security and securing the transport of troops and supplies throughout Iraq.
West St. Paul Mayor John Zanmiller, who served in the guard in more peaceful times, addressed the troops at the local armory on Tuesday. He said he was impressed by soldiers serving second and third tours in the war zone. “They’re just setting their lives on hold, saying goodbye to their kids for months at a time,” he said.
We wish them a safe and successful deployment and look forward to their arrival back home next spring.
We hope our readers got to the end of a column in Thursday’s newspaper by David Brooks of the New York Times. He wrote about the traditional graduation speeches given this time of year, in which speakers focus on the many wonderful opportunities facing graduates and on the importance of them following their dreams and finding themselves.
But, he said, the real meaning in life comes when something finds us – a problem or task or a job we care about and devote ourselves to.
Our Mister Brooks can speak at our kids’ graduation any time.
Word is that Ricky Rubio, a 20-year-old Spanish basketballer currently playing in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Barcelona, has agreed to terms with the Minnesota Timberwolves. We are happy to have him and hope he can help the struggling – OK, awful – Wolves.
Sunny Barcelona’s winters are so mild as to be non-existent. The average high temperature in January (55) and February (57), in the heart of the NBA season, is more than 30 degrees warmer than the Twin Cities’ average highs for January (21) and February (27).
And the low temps? Better not discussed other than to say, Bundle up, Ricky!
You might spot Harry Potter, Pippi Longstocking or even Minnesota’s Betsy and Tacy in the crowd on Sunday at Grand Old Day.
Kids are invited to dress as a favorite storybook character and join the children’s parade presented by the St. Paul Public Library to launch its Summer Reading Program (check in at the parking lot at Whole Foods on the corner of Grand and Fairview; registration at 9:15 a.m.; parade at 9:45).
It sounds like serious fun, celebrating a program that’s essential for our community.
For generations, parents and educators have worried about kids losing ground over the summer, returning to their classrooms needing to re-learn skills they’d mastered the year before. With pressure on our students and teachers to perform, and school time and resources increasingly precious, we applaud efforts that will keep kids learning and making progress throughout the summer. As part of its community literacy effort, the Pioneer Press is among sponsors who’ve supported the Summer Reading Program for years.
We all have a stake in the success of our next generation of students – and readers. Perhaps a child you know could use encouragement to spend time with good books this summer, to keep a reading record and to become a regular visitor to our libraries. Special free events and entertainment continue through August at St. Paul’s libraries and recreation centers. For more information, visit the library website at sppl.org.
We welcome Eric Schwartz, appointed this week as dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. The Humphrey School exerts a strong influence on future scholars and on our community. Schwartz is an assistant secretary at the U.S. State Department with experience at the National Security Council and the United Nations. He has a doctorate in law from New York University and has been a visiting lecturer at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson school. He succeeds Brian Atwood, who left in January, and will start work here in October.
Further, looking for a touque in Barcelona,Opinuendo sayeth not.
The Friday Opinuendo Poet was struck by the number of injuries befalling our beloved Minnesota Twins.