It is said time heals all wounds.

While it may be true in some instances, Marshall University is an exception.

The Marshall, Huntington and Tri-State communities lost 75 people nearly 46 years ago and for some, the impact of the loss still lingers.

Those who were supposed to be on the plane the night of Nov. 14, 1970 and the relatives of those on the plane might have moved on with their lives, but the loss will forever remain.

Which is why it is important Marshall continues to honor those who have passed with the annual Memorial Fountain Ceremony.

It enables the community to come together on the anniversary every year to keep the memories of the 75 alive.

It also allows the family members and the Marshall community to share stories about those lost and reconnect.

Not only does 2016 mark the 46-year anniversary of the Nov. 14, 1970 plane crash, but it is also the 10-year anniversary of both East Carolina University honoring the 75 victims at Dowdy Ficklen Stadium, the Pirates home field, with a plaque and the “We Are … Marshall” movie from Warner Brother Pictures.

While there are some inaccuracies in the “We Are … Marshall” movie, it did tell the story of how Marshall was somehow able to rebuild its football program to an international audience.

You almost cannot go anywhere these days outside of Huntington and be wearing a Marshall shirt or hoodie without someone saying to you, ‘like the Marshall from the movie, right?’

Inevitably you have to tell them it is an actual university in West Virginia, but without the movie there are millions of people who would not know anything about the story of the Thundering Herd.

The Parthenon editorial staff on Nov. 18, 1970 published an extended 24-page edition for its memorial edition and it contained an editorial with the headline: These losses cannot be overcome.

The odds had to seem more than insurmountable at the time.

But now, Marshall and the surrounding area has overcome this tragedy and might be ever more tight knit than it was in 1970.

Whether or not you were directly affected by the plane crash, once you become a son or daughter of Marshall you forever become part of the Thundering Herd’s success story.

We continue to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate cost of representing Marshall University and the Huntington Tri-State communities 46 years later.

And the void is still there for those directly impacted by the 1970 plane crash 46 years later, because time might heal all wounds, but it can never replace a lost loved one.