yesterday, I met my family in SLC and we drove to the cemetery where my sweet GG (great grandma) and Grandpa Wally are buried. we went to see them and a few other family members' graves. while talking, we could see numerous flags flying in a beautiful formation, in the distance.
as we got closer, we saw the sign: "Flags of Honor" and a small description.
Since 9-11, over 40 soldiers from Utah have died in the War on Terror. each of the 40 flags was individually personalized with a plaque engraven with a soldier's name, photograph, and a small biography. it was so humbling to walk through the rows of flags, reading the plaques.
I started getting emotional thinking about the families, loved ones, and lives they left behind.
the only sound I could hear was that of the flags whipping back and forth in the wind.
as we were about to leave, I noticed a picture of a soldier beaming from ear to ear. as I read on, I discovered that this young man was known as the "Candy Doctor." he would keep handfuls of candy in his pockets to share with the children. he died in an explosion "giving aid to another"
on May 14th, 2013. that was TWO WEEKS AGO! i was trying to think what i was doing on May 14th. Umm...I woke up and went on a beautiful morning run with my friend, went to school, had dinner & a movie night with Cars... yet, somewhere across the world, a selfless young man about my same age, sacrificed his entire life so that I could be standing in that spot, on American soil, in the land of the free.
May we all take an extra moment tomorrow to remember the lives of the men and women who died to defend our country and protect our freedoms.
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a friend of mine showed this to me today: "Those who have been deprived of the association of their loved ones, need no day of special reminder. For them every day brings its own reminder. And to you for whom Memorial Day is a day of deep personal loss and of fresh sorrow: may He who gave us life give also to your troubled hearts His assurance of the reality that life is eternal, and that there is no one from whom we have parted here whom we may not know and cherish and live with yet again." Richard L. Evans
That "Candy Doctor" was in my grade, in my high school. Some of my good friends were close with him. It definitely hits home when it's someone you know...makes it so much more real, and makes you appreciate it that much more!
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you for sharing that, Kassie! I didn't even know him and I was so touched by his service, I can only imagine what it would have been like to know him. what a great example for all who knew him and of him! I hope you had a wonderful Memorial day!
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