This weekend has become a busy one for me. This and memorial weekend just used to be a time when I took off with friends and enjoyed the sales and the nice long weekend. Now it's full of events with veterans and in cemeteries. This weekend has been set aside to thank those who have served and are still serving in the military, especially if you don't every other day of the year.
Saturday night I went to a ceremony in Portland at Skyline Memorial for their POW/MIA ceremony with the moving Vietnam Memorial Wall. This is the last year it will be in Oregon because they are retiring the moving wall. It was very impressive and the ceremony very moving. (the closeups on the wall have a film over them, that's the condensation from the fog, it was 30 degrees)
Me with some of the Korean War veterans that I met. 3 marines and 1 corpsman (the corpsman is the one with the giant smile and the rope around his arm). They had some amazing stories and they were all talking to me about Ryley. They had all been at his funeral. It sounds like they go to as many funerals as they can for those who die in combat from Oregon.
At the ceremony they had all of us in attendance hold candles the whole time.
They had a table set up on stage with 5 empty seats, 5 hats, 5 upside down glasses etc for the men and women who are no longer with us and those who have not been found from the 5 different branches of the United States Military. They also unfolded an American flag, sounded the 21 gun salute, played taps, and refolded the flag and presented it to a widow that I know. They also presented her with the folded MIA/POW flag and some other documents. It was a very moving ceremony and I'm glad I was able to be there with her and some of the other widows in the area.
Sunday Ryley's family, some of his friends, and some family friends went to the Elks Lodge for their Veterans day ceremony. While there they presented Ryley's mom with their Elks Medal of Valor. It was very moving as were their speeches addressed to those Veterans still alive and in attendance.
All in all it was a very moving and powerful Veterans weekend. Remember to thank those men and women in the military for their service and not just on Veterans day.
2 comments:
Very moving Hope.
Ryley changed the way I think on and about Veterans day also. It's no longer just a day off...it's a day to really appreciate everything that the people in the armed forces have done for us, and still do for us. Its sad that it took losing him for me to appreciate it the way I should. Love you Hope!
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