What price is freedom?

On February 20th, 1864, in the swampy woods west of Jacksonville, 5000 young men from the northern states, marched 60 miles from Jacksonville and ran right into 5000 other young men from the South who had marched even further, from Atlanta. After a few hours of intense fighting, the Union forces retreated, leaving 2,807 of these young men dead or dying on a battlefield far from their homes.


Photo by Tony Klimas, Copyright 2005

This reenactment of the Battle of Olustee, held February 20th, 2005, got me thinking about what a horrific thing it must have been to suffer all those casualties in just a few short hours. There probably was not even enough time for Ted Koppel to read all the names on Nightline. Even worse, this is a battle that most have never heard of, fought at the end of the war, with little consequence other than prolonging the war by another year. "Please!", some would say..."bring our boys home for they are dying for nothing." Were they? Did they?

As I watched, I wondered, whether the current citizens and residents of the United States would have the stomach for such a fight today. Would they be willing to take up arms and sacrifice their lives for nothing more than beliefs and principles, and more importantly, would they be willing to do this near the end of the war when their deaths truly became pointless to some. There is no way to know for sure, I suppose, but I think there are maybe still a few of us out here who know in our hearts, that there are indeed ideas and principles worth fighting for and even dying for, and more importantly, people who are willing to do just that regardless of how long it takes.

Super City......

It's been a busy few days for our little town, and for me in particular. We just held our first Super Bowl, and I think those who keep track of such things will record the moment favorably.


Photo by Tony Klimas, Copyright 2005

Like a shooting star, it appears our city is on the rise. As I was out photographing many of the events, I had a chance to meet and talk with many people from out of town. If their rave reviews are any indication of the impression we made, this little boom town of mine is about to boom some more. Since moving here in 1986, I've watched it all happen. The paper mills are gone, a few hundred thousand new comers have joined us and it's been a while since I have heard the term "stinksville" used to describe my home. Of course one of the things that makes this such a nice place to live, is the small town feel we have always had. People are friendly and very laid back, and although we have our fair share of big city problems, they somehow don't seem the same as those in other places I have visited in my travels around the world. I hope we can hold on to that, no matter how bright our star shines.

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