A PERSONAL MEMORIAL DAY EVENT

A PERSONAL MEMORIAL DAY EVENT
(and something that I never expected)

Yesterday evening (May 29, 2010), I left shift work with my backpack containing 100 U.S.A. flags to be used for a duty that I had sworn myself to perform. When I had ordered the flags earlier, I knew that I would not be at home this weekend but I could fulfill my oath in the area that I work at during this weekend. My personal duty that I had sworn myself to was to visit the local cemetery and place new flags at the gravesites of veterans of the past. For a relatively small cemetery, I found more graves of heroes than one might expect. From World War I to the current war against terrorism (don’t call them “enemy combatants” or I’ll be knocking on your door), the numbers were significant.
At each gravesite, I announced the rank, name and branch of service, thanked them, as a fellow veteran, for the sacrifice of time from their family (and in some cases the sacrifice of life) which they had made to serve our country. I planted a flag by his or her’s tombstone, came to attention and saluted. There was a feeling of pride that slowly grew as I continued on from one grave to the next.
Near the end (I had about 30 flags left), as I was honoring another veteran, I realized that an older woman was standing by. I had noticed her a few minutes earlier as she was arranging flowers and placing a flag at a gravesite (an area I had yet reached). When I finished at this particular grave, I introduced myself as did she. She then asked if she could buy a flag from me, from which I responded “Ma’am, it is an honor to give you one”. She told me that she was doing the same at the grave of her husband, who had passed away two years ago. He was a retired colonel of the United States Army who was involved in the Korean War (don’t call it a “conflict” or I’ll be at your door again) and the Vietnam War. Buried nearby was her friend who was a nurse at a MASH unit during the Vietnam War. She had passed away just three months ago. I accompanied her to her friend’s grave, and as she planted the flag, I honored her friend’s service. With moist eyes, she took me to her husband’s grave. As I stood at attention and began honoring his service, she held my left hand. When I finished, I looked at a grateful woman with warmth in her face and tears in her eyes. Yes, real men do cry and we are proud to admit it.
After a couple of minutes of composure, I knew that she was ready to go. I escorted her to her suburban and told her that I saluted her sacrifice that she had made in honoring her husband’s wishes to serve his country and that I knew that she had lived a fulfilling life with her husband and family. After a grateful “Thank You”, she told me that tomorrow at 11:00, Memorial Day, she was one of the honorees at the traditional laying of the Memorial Wreath in Veterans’ Park here. I look forward to seeing her tomorrow.
Truly, this was a humbling experience of which I will always reflect on for time eternal. After she left, I continued with my honoring of deceased veterans until I had ran out of flags. On the next occasion, I’ll remember to order much more. I had a personal experience with the remaining veterans whom I had no flags for, but maybe I’ll tell that story another time. I say this because I had an enduring moment of reflection which I feel is important for you to hear.
At this cemetery, there were men and women who had fought (and for some, died) in wars that encompassed the 20th century up to today. They had sacrificed time away from their lives and their families to defend our freedom and liberties that were endowed to us over 220 years ago. I could only ask myself what these brave heroes, as they now sit at the right hand of God, were pondering as they looked upon our nation today. Do they wonder why we, as citizens of this great country, have allowed the slow but methodical erosion of our rights? Do they know, as I believe they do, what our country’s future holds for We, the People? I know that they are proud of our current men and women in uniform who are serving and fighting for our country, particularly as they are all now volunteers, Yet, they must be asking how their sacrifices may have been in vain as our rights are slowly being attacked, our leadership in government usurping their powers and violating the limitations endowed upon them by the Constitution, our Constituion slowly being shredded with the passage of another immoral and unconstitutional bill. This is the Constitution which our servicemen and servicewomen vowed to uphold and defend against enemies, foreign and domestic.
Hopefully, our Heavenly Father and our heroes of the past have given their blessings to We, the People, the ones who have opened our eyes to the disgressions which have been occurring for so many years to our Republic, in our endeavors to educate our fellow countrymen and are working towards the ideal to RESTORE OUR REPUBLIC. We, the People owe it to our fallen heroes, our living veterans and our current men and women in uniform to do our part to protect our country, and therefore our Constitution, from enemies, foreign and domestic.
Finally, one might ask why I titled this blog as “A PERSONAL MEMORIAL DAY EVENT” when the actions described occurred two days before Memorial Day. Because tomorrow morning, Memorial Day 2010, I will have the opportunity to meet a real American hero once again; the elderly wife of a career Army officer and a friend of a brave Army nurse.