May 26, 2025
By Ed VanStine
Today is not just a day off—it’s a day of reverence. A day of pride. A day of remembrance.
Here in Steuben County, we don’t take freedom for granted. We know the price that’s been paid for the blessings we wake up to every morning. Our valleys, our hills, our flag-lined cemeteries—they tell the stories of hometown heroes who never came home. Men and women who wore the uniform with honor, who left behind farms, factory jobs, classrooms, and Main Street dreams to defend something greater than themselves.
From Canisteo to Bath, from Greenwood to Hornell, from Painted Post to Prattsburgh—our roots run deep. Our love of country runs even deeper.
On this Memorial Day, we remember the brave sons and daughters of this land—ordinary people who did the extraordinary. They gave their lives so that we could gather with family, speak our minds, chase our ambitions, and live in peace. They didn’t do it for recognition. They did it because that’s what courage looks like when it’s born in a small town.
They were raised on hard work, faith, respect, and responsibility. And when duty called, they answered.
Let us not just mourn their loss—let us live in a way that honors their legacy.
Let’s raise our kids with the same values they fought to protect. Let’s help our neighbors, lift our communities, and build a future where unity means more than politics. Let us teach the next generation that freedom is earned—and always worth fighting for.
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell
To the Gold Star families of Steuben County: your pain is ours. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. Your loved ones are the reason our flags fly so proudly today.
From the parade on Liberty Street to the silence at Hillside Cemetery, from taps echoing through valley fields to the crosses standing in our hearts—we remember. We honor. We promise never to forget.
Today, we remember the fallen.
Tomorrow, we live for them.
And always, we stand proud—Steuben strong and American proud.
