NOTE: Joe Pais is out of town this week. He traveled to Valley Forge, PA, to receive the George Washington Medal of Honor for Key West's U.S. Battleship Maine Centennial Commission, which he chaired. Here is a reprint of a column that appeared on December 5, 1997.
A good start always begins with reflection of the past. And so, our "season" begins this year. All of our snowbird friends return and there is a certain excitement in the cool air that descends upon us about the same time. This year we begin this special season remembering the past— hopefully, we will learn from times gone by.
So many friends have gone and will never return. This week many people gathered at the White Street Pier to dedicate a memorial to those people who died of AIDS. It was not surprising to find such a large diversity of people who came to remember family members, lovers and friends. Our island has suffered and fought this disease as valiantly as any other place on the face of the earth. We have worked, as no other community, to bring compassion, understanding and love to those who are living with HIV and AIDS.
The AIDS Memorial does not really have that much to do with the granite and cement at the foot of the pier. It has to do with a community that cares for those who suffer and remembers those who bravely faced an insufferable disease. The memorial is made of each and every person who has worked and cared to deal with all the ramifications of AIDS.
Let us remember— it was not that long ago AIDS patients could hardly find care in this community. Remember those times when businesses refused to distribute literature on AIDS? Remember those who spoke out against using the word AIDS in print for fear it would drive off tourist business? Recall the horrors friends suffered without insurance, medical treatment, or compassionate care givers as they breathed their last precious breath?
How different our little island is today. It is a proud place that has worn the badge of compassion and raised itself against the intolerant, uninformed and loathsome who turned from their friends and neighbors with AIDS in the past.
This week also saw the return of a very old, and very unique friend. Some time ago, the statue of the sailor atop the USS Maine Monument was removed and taken from the island. He returned at 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning and faithfully greeted the ocean breezes, glorious sun and blue skies he had known for nearly 100 years.
The sailor on the monument was a very unique figure. He was, until very recently, the only work of sculpture, in human form, the existed in Key West. He was erected by the people of Key West who wished to honor the crew members of the ill-fated battleship Maine whose remains are buried near the monument. It is an amazing community tribute that for nearly 100 years the people of Key West reserved this public honor for the heroes of the USS Maine.
When the Maine Memorial Monument was dedicated in March of 1900, over 10,000 people attended the ceremony. Eight hundred school children carried bouquets of flowers to place upon the graves of the fallen heroes. Who among us has seen such a thing in this community since?
Standing in the Main Plot at the Key West Cemetery, watching this young sailor again attending his watch, this columnist was once again reminded that the past is truly part of us. Whether we wish to recall the past at the White Street Pier, the Maine Memorial Plot, or other dear places, it is essential to our