Today's Heroes

Janis Cummings is called by some the "Anti-Cindy Sheehan" -- and perhaps she is.

Her son, Marine Cpl. Ryan John Cummings, 22, of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was killed on June 3rd of 2006 in the Anbar province, Iraq. This was Cpl. Cummings' third tour of duty in Iraq.

His mother, Janis Cummings, recently finished her third year as a third-grade teacher at Oak Park Elementary School on Aurora's East Side.

Janis Cummings said she was proud of her son, who leaves behind a 17-year-old brother, a 20-year-old sister and a 13-year-old half-brother.

Cummings' father, John Cummings, said his son enlisted in the Marines on Sept. 10, 2001, and the terrorist attacks the next day only strengthened his resolve to join the military.

Along with serving in Iraq, Cummings helped build a medical facility in Africa and was involved in relief efforts after the tsunami in 2004.

He had returned to Iraq for his third tour of duty in February and was scheduled to leave the Marines in November. Cummings had plans to study engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, family members said.

Last week President Bush pointedly praised 22-year old Marine Cpl. Ryan Cummings, who was killed in Iraq. Ryan's mother

Janis Cummings appeared on The O'Reilly Factor and said:

"He always stood up for what he believed in, and he believed in what he was doing in Iraq. We supported him, and I know that if I was to protest against what he believed in it would be a betrayal. So even if I wanted to protest against the war, I could never do that."

It would appear that, unlike Ms. Sheehan, Janis Cummings has positively chosen to not denigrate the actions, dedication and service to his country of her son.

My most sincere condolences to Janis and John Cummings for the loss of their son, who is indeed a Hero of the first order; Janis is likewise a Hero for clearly and unequivocally supporting her son privately and openly in public.

She understands what it means when people say: Freedom is never, ever free.

Her son Ryan and the Cummings family have made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of the country they love.

BZ