Let’s be clear right from the get-go. We support the men and women who are serving in the military ”“ those serving abroad in war zones and those serving in other areas. We support the troops. We like veterans ”“ a lot ”“ and veteran’s issues and stories featuring veterans appear frequently in this newspaper.
And we like yellow ribbons.
But the situation that has developed in Alfred, York County’s shiretown, over the past couple of weeks seems a bit over the top, and here is why:
The town in July removed yellow ribbons that Sue Babb-McKinney, whose son is serving in Afghanistan, had placed on trees in the village green because the town thought they started to look a bit weathered. Babb-McKinney saw they were gone and replaced them a couple of weeks ago, but, she said, worried they might not be welcome.
At hand in Alfred is not an issue of patriotism, but of maintaining public property, plain and simple.
What is also at hand is an apparent lack of communication, on both sides.
When the ribbons were taken down, selectmen said they didn’t know who had put them there in the first place ”“ though perhaps it could be said they might have tried a little harder to find out, as Alfred’s population numbers only about 3,000.
Nevertheless, that didn’t happen and when Babb-McKinney came to a selectmen’s meeting Tuesday to talk about the matter, she had lots of company. About 40 people, a dozen of whom identified with Rolling Thunder, came to show their support.
Also present were reporters with two newspapers and three television stations ”“ a big display of media in this small town.
Babb-McKinney said when the ribbons came down, she felt like selectmen were telling her they didn’t want them there. But as far as we can tell, she didn’t ask them before Tuesday’s meeting. Just as selectmen might have tried a bit harder to find out who had placed the ribbons to begin with, perhaps Babb-McKinney could have called selectmen or the folks at Town Hall to inquire.
And perhaps the brouhaha could have been avoided.
Think about this scenario: While American troops are in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan, dealing with roadside bombs and worse, people in a small town in Maine are arguing about yellow ribbons ”“ all because they don’t talk to each other.
It’s hard to imagine the selectmen begrudging the mother of an active duty service member who is deployed to a war zone the right to display a ribbon to remind her neighbors of his and others’ service to the country. Selectmen have stated, publicly, that is simply not the case, and that ribbons are welcome, so long as they are maintained.
We like yellow ribbons and we support a display in the village green.
We also support the selectmen in their efforts to insist that a public display on town property be properly maintained.
Selectmen plan to have continued discussion about the town policy that addresses ribbons Tuesday. Developed a few years ago but apparently never put into action, the policy allows one ribbon per household with a serving family member, plus one ribbon for the town, to be displayed at the village green.
Babb-McKinney and some veterans who voiced their opinions in Alfred earlier this week said they agree with this policy, which allows for a respectful display. We think it sounds like a good compromise, too, and would suggest that the town, rather than a private citizen, take the lead on keeping track of which households have a current military service member, and make sure a well-maintained ribbon is displayed for each of them.
In this time of war, it is the least we can do to remember those who are fighting for American causes like freedom and democracy. In their honor, we hope the Town can work together with residents to avoid future disruption of the yellow ribbon display.
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