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Somber duty takes (Dean) Johnson to Dover
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Eric |
| Last Edited | Eric Jun 20, 2005 05:34pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Monday, June 20, 2005 11:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The honor guard carried the flag-draped caskets one by one from the airplane that had ferried them to Dover, Del., from Iraq on Wednesday night, and Dean Johnson was there to see it.
The state Senate majority leader and Willmar DFLer put politics aside for three days last week to carry out a duty he had not yet faced as a brigadier general in the U.S. Army National Guard.
A general must always be on hand at Dover Air Force Base to receive the remains of service members killed overseas when they return to the United States. This time, when eight Americans stopped there on their last journey home, it was Johnson's turn to stand watch.
After a ceremony he described as "breathtaking," Johnson found himself pondering what the families of these soldiers must be experiencing, the absence of anyone besides military officials to receive the caskets, the costs of war and the relative insignificance of disagreements in St. Paul that have kept the Legislature from finishing its business.
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"It helps put things in perspective," the Lutheran minister said. "The matters of the state of Minnesota are very important, but the matters that affect these soldiers' families and their comrades take a higher priority."
Johnson left for Dover on Monday evening and didn't return until Thursday afternoon. He was on call 24 hours a day during that time, because officials don't know exactly when the transport planes will arrive. On Wednesday, a leased 747 delivered five members of the Army and three Marines. |
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