A letter of gratitude to Paul Cash

By Canton Citizen

Editor’s note: The following letter was originally sent to Paul Cash from Dick Flanagan on July 23, 2004. Cash, a lifelong resident, passed away last month at the age of 87. The letter is reprinted below with permission from Mr. Flanagan.

Dear Mr. Cash:

I write this letter with great humility and trepidation. You don’t really know me, but I have met you on several occasions. For many, many years, I have observed you, at various times, honoring our combat veterans, both deceased and living, in the Memorial Day parade. Year in and year out, you are there, not for yourself, but for them. Your experience on Iwo Jima during World War II is something that few of us can comprehend, and yet we know how it affected your life.

I wonder if you know what a mentor and inspiration you are for those who know of you. I see you, not only at that time of year when we all honor our dead, but throughout the year at burial ceremonies for our veterans. You are also at our schools to bear witness to the young, talking about freedom, what it means, and how it should be cherished.

Some early mornings at Honey Dew, I’d see you getting coffee to bring home for you and your wife. I see your face with a bright, cheery smile and a “hello” and “good morning” for anyone you encounter, as you hold the door for people much younger than you … and I wonder as they pass you if they know who you are.

Do they know, as I do, what you have been through? You mentor so many by the way you carry yourself throughout your day, and we are so proud of you.

I’m told you get tears in your eyes as you raise and lower your flag at home each day, and I suppose some, in this day and age, might think it’s “quirky,” but I don’t.

You epitomize the meaning of what it is to be an American, and the responsibilities that come with that privilege. With the world in chaos as it is, and the start of the election season, when we vote, I just wanted to say thank you, and to tell you how much the better we are for having known you.

May the knowledge that you gave your all for the love of your country and all that it stands for, and for the inspiration you give to everyone you meet, comfort you throughout your life.

With deepest gratitude,

Richard Flanagan

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=11284