With each passing year, the 4th of July has
changed for me. It used to be party time, birthday celebrations with
flag waving and hot dogs and baseball games with fireworks.
Although we still gather together for a party, grill the dogs and shoot off the fireworks, the feelings in my heart have changed.
I will never forget the 4th of July when my firstborn was deployed to
Afghanistan. Every firework brought questions, were they fighting at
that very moment as we sat in our chairs watching the display. How
could such a thing be, that I could see beauty in explosions while they
represented death and ugliness over there.
I remember struggling
with resentment, I still do actually, for what I perceived was an utter lack of
understanding by pretty much everyone. I wished that I could gather
with the families of those deployed, for the comradeship, for they
know, they understand.
I remember thinking of the names of the fallen, sons of friends, men I had researched and written tributes for.
I thought of a little boy sitting in a heart shaped wave at the beach.
Of the Marine and his boyish face. I thought of Michael... Kevin.... Jason.....
Kris....Seth....Andy......Thomas....Mecolus ....Stiggy........Daren....David....Donald.....Matthew....Rudy..., Vincent.....Frank.....Patrick.....Titus.....Brandon......Travis.....Stacy.....Steven.......Adam......William.....Jamie.......Dustin......Joshua.....and a host of others gone too soon.
Names have been added to the list since then......Michael D.....Juan......Artie......Vilmar.....Derek.....Daniel.....Ethan.....
This year I will remember. As the fireworks go off, as the beautiful
clusters fill the sky, I will go through the list of names and faces
engraved in my memory the list is
long and my faulty memory will not allow me to access each one, nor can
my fingers bare the typing of them were I able to recall.
As we celebrate America today, may each soul remember and reflect........freedom is not free.
May God bless our Gold Star families this Independence Day, and may He
ever bless and keep all who have served, especially those who fought,
for they have paid in blood and sweat and tears in purchasing our
freedom.
May God guard and protect all those still standing in harm's way on our behalf.
Link to database of our fallen.
http://projects.militarytimes.com/valor/
Photo album Honor to the Troops
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.239979516034964.67375.209368255762757&type=3
Not all fireworks are in celebration. This photo depicts the Wolfhounds as they gather together in Afghanistan, the flares in the sky launched in tribute as their fallen brothers are beginning their final journey home.