It was a gorgeous summer day in the northeast, I thought about this man as I drove through the green hills and valleys, past freshly mown hay fields, and yes, even amber waves of grain. I thought about the freedoms we enjoy here that at times we even take for granted. The freedoms that men like Thom fought and died for.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the uninvited guests did show up there. I did not personally witness any of that, by the time I arrived there was already a large number of patriots on line doing what they do. I found a friend from a previous mission and stood on line with her. Someone who was helping with the service brought the guest book around to each and every one of us on the line. The page I glimpsed had people from several states and Canada. I would hazard to guess that each of them felt as I do, that a tank of gas and a few hours of my time is the least I can do.
After awhile the Ride Captains informed us that it had been requested that we move our line up a hill opposite where the outdoor portion of the service was to be held, as a backdrop for the military honor guard. From our position on the hill, I could not hear much of the short outdoor portion of the service. After the family came out, and the rest of the attendees of the service, there was some music and a few words. I had forgotten there was to be a flyover, until we heard choppers. Apache. They did the “missing man” formation with one of the helicopters halting and standing straight up at a 90 degree angle while the other two continued on. Immediately after, there was the gun salute and the playing of Taps. There was one little girl who was standing near the family’s shelter, who looked to be about 10 years old. When everyone was saluting, she stood there at attention too in her striped summer dress saluting with a hand up to her eyebrow. She held the salute the whole time, and it is one of those moments that seem frozen in time for me. In contrast, there was a little boy dancing around next to her, literally dancing, he couldn’t keep still. After that was over, Commander Mulholland, Commanding General of U.S. Army Special Forces, Airborne, walked out to us, introduced himself, and thanked all of us (!) for being there. That was a most humbling experience. As we disbanded, townspeople thanked us, members of the military thanked us, and when I asked a police officer directions as I left, he thanked me too.
Below are some pictures I took.
A printed program for the service was reported to have included the following, written by the MSgt himself:
"The years have gone by so quickly. It is said that time waits for no one. Looking back brings memories, some good, some bad. Days have faded into months, months into years, years into decades. Events have brought about change and shaped the life we now have. There have been people who influenced us and helped guide us down the trail of our life. All this and we can look back and ask 'Why? Why does this time go by so fast? Why did the events take place just the way they did? And the people, where did they fit in and how did they know to come just when we needed them?' In death as in life, nothing extravagant. My love is with you all. Keep living life!"
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