Described as "the most revered war hero that no one has ever heard of," Col. John W. Ripley of Annapolis, MD. died on 28 October at the age of 69. Col. Ripley was renowned within the Marine Corps for single-handedly thwarting an attack by a huge North Vietnamese force. The description in The New York Times obituary sounds like Rambo meets Bridge Over the River Kwai. No telling how many lives his amazing heroics saved.

My town, Gallatin, TN, dedicated its new public library on Nov. 16, with a parade that included a fire truck and a high school marching band, some great singing, cookies and several hundred citizens. The new structure replaces a 40-plus-year-old library long since outgrown by the population and by readers' needs.

I've written about the library project elsewhere on this blog, so I will try not to repeat myself. The fruit of about five years of planning, fundraising and finally, construction, the new library still has some maturing to do. The old library's book collection looks tiny in the spacious new digs. Economic woes mean that hours and staffing will be less-than-ideal for at least this year.

But right now, everyone is reveling in the accomplishment of a project many thought couldn't happen - even those involved had doubts at times after fundraising began and other worthwhile projects cropped up seeking donations, as well.

The new library's courtyard is paved with bricks, of which more than 1,000 carry engraved names honoring and remembering friends, family and even a few nationally known political figures. There are also bricks dedicated to local heroes, including a young Marine KIA in Iraq.

The interior is open and airy and decorated in cool neutral tones that give it a kind of understated elegance - as the contractor described it, the decorator used moderately priced materials to create a higher-priced look.

The children's library area - bigger than the entire old library - has stuffed animals scattered around and brighter accent colors. There's a great sofa, just right for one adult to stretch out and read, or maybe a dozen little ones to sit and listen to a story.

The librarians said groups had already signed up for the large, flexible meeting rooms, and I am sure people will be eager to rent to space for gatherings and parties, what with the balcony overlooking Main Street.

Sometimes projects like this proceed by fits and starts, with rancor and wrangling and lots of egos wadding up. This project didn't have any of that. Vendors went above and beyond to help put their materials to maximum best use, such as suggesting how to employ stone in more creative ways than we imagined. People worked late, met early and spent hours meticulously watching every penny and bolt.

The site previously held a bank, and before that, had been the Roxy Theater. A private home stood there before the Roxy, which burned many years ago. Photos of the previous buildings and a model of the Roxy form a display at the library.

Although construction took about 18 months, it was only in the last couple of weeks that the building seemed to materialize on the downtown square. And when we noticed it, we marveled at how the design seemed to blend in well with the other buildings, some of which have been there more than a century. It's like it was looking for a home, and when it found one, we wondered what took so long for it to arrive.

As we at Hammock take the holiday break, we offer special thanks for the warriors who have defended our freedoms and continue to do so.

Through our work with the Marine Corps League, I have become especially aware of the sacrifices made by young men and women of the United States Marine Corps. Two events at this time of year bring special poignancy to the holiday.

The first was the invasion of "Bloody Tarawa" on 20 November 1943. Over three days of fighting, 1,020 Marines were KIA and more than 2,200 were wounded. It was one of the bloodiest days of the war, and the most deadly battle in the Corps' history to that point.

The second event occurred during the Korean War, when waves of Communist Chinese troops secretly surrounded and swept down on Marines near the Chosin Reservoir in what is now North Korea. During some of the bitterest wintry weather imaginable, the Marines executed a legendary fighting withdrawal and in the process sent many of the enemy into the void. The attack came the day after the Leathernecks celebrated a frigid Thanksgiving.

Indeed, we have much to be thankful for. And humbled by.