All it takes is one visit, two words, and three seconds. "Thank You" seems so understated and underrated, yet there are no other words more appropriate for the many who have long passed on.

Rusted, five pointed GAR markers, some broken and lying beside a headstone, covered with the earth's fallen seasons, tells a story of who this man was. He was an American Civil War Veteran; '61-'65 says it all.

A sense of bewilderment comes over me when I realize how many American Civil War Veterans there are buried in such a small town as ours. There are approximately 400 servicemen memorialized within the confines of the Town of Wawarsing and its neighboring hamlets. Most of the men were born and raised here, but some were from outside the US. The towns making up the valley had an eclectic mix of Dutch, German, Irish, English, and Italians, many of whom worked on the D&H Canal, the glass factory, and the many tanneries which employed hundreds at that time.

A majority of the able men from our local community enlisted when President Lincoln called for the initial 75,000 troops in April of 1861. A three month obligation for most of the first enlistees turned out to be a four year tour of duty — to honor, protect and defend the Union, a Union which many of their ancestors fought to establish. An additional 300,000 were called for afterwards, and many answered the call.

Letters from the front, written by the commanders of the regiments, made their way home and to the local newspapers, where the residents were able to follow the progress of the war. A gathering in town would have been the best way to relay messages and read off the names of the wounded and dead as well as the victories they were responsible for creating with the sacrifice of their lives. Sunday services were attended with heavy hearts, and weeping mothers, wives, and friends found comfort in each other during this tumultuous period in American history. Some of these men returned, but in an altered state, and were never the same again. After reading hundreds of obituaries and the scarcely found letters written home by these soldiers, one can only believe that what they saw and what they had to endure must have had long lasting effects on the mind, body, and soul.

It is my honor and duty to locate and document all of these brave men who gave of themselves for future generations so that we can continue to live free from the evils of slavery and free from the horrors that bring man to the act of War. Remembered today and forevermore…

Thank you, Gentlemen.

Laura Smith is employed at the Ellenville Public Library and Museum and has been tirelessly researching the area's Civil War Veterans.

The Obama Administration is looking to cut Medicare payments by 40 percent to heart and cancer specialists. By cutting payments by such a vast amount, doctors would have to lay-off staff, which could cause severe shortages in treatment. He also wants to cut Medicare Advantage, in which about 11 million seniors are enrolled. As I said before, the Obama administration is trying to cut Medicare by $500 billion, which will cause shortages in care and long waits in doctor's offices. Older doctors have said if this type of health care is passed they will consider retiring. We seniors worked too hard and paid into the system for many years to get the best medical care, and we deserve it. I ask my fellow seniors and family members to call their legislators and tell them to keep their hands off Medicare.

Eighty-five percent of Americans are very happy with the health care that they have. Obama now states that there are 30 million people that are without health care, down from the 47 million he stated. The new amount is also not true — there are about 12 million people in this country that are not covered with health insurance. Let's create some type of health insurance for these uncovered Americans. The health care wheel is not broken, only a couple of spokes in the wheel need repairing. You must go after the waste, fraud, and mismanagement of the system. What took the government so long to realize this? This should have been done long ago. It was not done because too many people were filling their pockets and still are. As long as there is corruption in government, it will not stop — and there is plenty of that. The Obama Administration should go after Tort Reform and also allow Americans to buy health care insurance over state lines. That would create more competition and lower costs. There are over 1,300 such insurance companies in the United States.

We do not want government-run health care. Whatever government puts their hands on goes bankrupt. Look at Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Post Office. In Norwood, Canada, they have a lottery that is held once a year and they pick four townspeople each year to get a primary doctor. Five million Canadians do not have a primary doctor. This is the type of health care that Obama and our legislators want to push down our throats. Again, I say we don't need Government-Run Health Care, Co-Ops of Trigger options. If Obama continues to spend the way he is, he will bankrupt this country. Our deficit in 10 years will be $9 trillion. How does any country sustain such a large deficit? We are in debt to China for trillions of dollars. Tell the Obama administration to stop this foolish spending and lead this country out of this recession by giving the American people tax cuts and help small businesses to expand their companies by tax cuts. This would be the only way to create jobs and lower unemployment. Wake up, Mr. President, and stop spending foolishly. Do the right thing for the American people!