(Left to right) Hecker Camp members Gerald Sonnenberg and Richard Piper reach the Walnut Hill Cemetery at the end of a 1.8 mile march. (Photo by Christopher Parr, 932nd Airlift Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserve)

By Gerald Sonnenberg
Col. Frederich K. Hecker Camp #443

The admonition to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes means that before judging someone, you must understand their experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. The full idiom is, “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” It is a reminder to empathize. That is at least part of the approach I take when I participate in a ceremony or other event as a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). So now I have, walked a mile that is.

On Memorial Day 2023, I put on my blue wool uniform and leather brogans, carried my 10lb, 1853 Enfield rifle with bayonet and other equipment and actually marched a mile (1.8 miles actually) in the Belleville, Illinois Memorial Day parade. Was I hot, sweaty, a little sore, and were my feet yearning for a good set of Dr. Scholls inserts? You betcha. More than 30 years wearing comfortable boots and lightweight Air Force uniforms can spoil you.

But why serve? I can only speak for myself when I explain why I serve in the SUVCW. Though, I think many might share my reasoning. I do consider it a service, though not traditionally like my military service. My service is to preserve the memory of our ancestors and the history they made. Not because they were perfect people. They were not. However, they played a significant role in the development and preservation of the United States and the Constitution.

I never met my great, great grandfather David Ralston Livingston. His three years of service to the nation in the 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) is something I discovered a few years back while working on my family history. What I know is that in August 1862, this husband and father of four children and a pregnant wife, at the time, left his farm in east central Ohio to serve the nation and help preserve the Union. Why? I doubt it was for the pay, and to my knowledge, he was the first of three brothers to fight. One brother, James, would die from an amputation he received at the Petersburg, Virginia battlefield. He died on a hospital ship and was later buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The other, William, would be wounded and serve for a time in the Veteran Reserve Corps; sometimes known as the Invalid Corps, before being mustered out. They both were grandpa’s older brothers and served in the 60th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. They were 39 and 41 years old, respectively, when they enlisted.

As a journalist, I wish I could interview them and better understand their courage, the hardships they went through and what drove them to serve. I can’t. So, the least I can do is pay tribute to them and the many other Americans who served so that this nation could endure by putting on a uniform; firing my weapon in salute; or marching a mile or so to bring attention to their sacrifice, even though I do get teased a little from time to time by those who don’t understand the value in what I’m doing and why.

Not understanding history is why some Americans have more recently found it convenient to their personal or political goals to demean certain ancestors and apply 21st century values to the values and actions of centuries past. Maybe they should try walking a mile in our ancestor’s shoes before speaking or typing hurtful things on their modern technology. The greatest value in remembering history is learning to not repeat the mistakes of the past, then moving on.

I didn’t know our founding fathers any more than the people who criticize them, so it is simply out of ignorance that they treat them with contempt. I dare say that had these various criticizers of our history lived back then, they probably would have a different perspective on a lot of things they mumble about today.

I’m proud of our founding fathers, mothers and ancestors in general; no matter their race, relation to me, or if they were born here. They were Americans who fought, sacrificed and survived in a time when many of us today may not have. We remember them; not because they were perfect, or because we may or may not agree with how they lived or acted sometimes. We remember them because of what they achieved.

This Independence Day, I thank them for what they achieved and making sure that I have the blessing of living in the United States. Happy Independence Day!