forney. across our country, not just on our national mall, but on the boulevards of our state capitals and in the squares of our small towns, there are names of brave americans etched in memorials, the names of those who never came home. and there are those who did come home whose names may not be on monuments but whose example of service and sacrifice for their country is no less inspiring. for two and a half centuries they have answered the calls, they have protected our freedoms, they've placed their lives in the line of fire oceans away so that their countrymen can live lives in peace here at home. they are the citizen-soldiers who defeated a king's army who ended the scourge of slavery, who saved western civilization and liberated concentration camps, who today down communism and stand vigil against terrorism. they are more than just names, though. they are the spirit of this country, strong but merciful, forever guarding our freedoms, and devoted to our fellow citizens. corporal alvin f