Our Uncle Walter died today. We cried with him when JFK was shot. We spent hours together, marveling over each step of the space program, and we cried again, in joy, when Armstrong walked the moon. When Uncle Walter said the Viet Nam War was mired in stalemate, we knew it was time to find a way out, and we cried when our leaders didn't listen. He was one of us, sounded like us, and was the best of us. wise, calm, honest, steady.
He told us the truth, even when it hurt, because he knew that to heal we had to know we were wounded. He told us the truth, when it helped, because he knew that we are more as a group than as individuals. He told us the truth, and we loved him and trusted him for it.
And that's the way it is, Friday, July 17, 2009. Rest in peace, Walter Cronkite.
John T. Bird, Chair Emeritus, Kansas Democratic Party
Comments