Veteran's Day 2008

Morning. Our town's USS Indianapolis survivor, sat on the stage, waiting to lead us in the pledge. I watched his shoulders shake and his face pucker during the National Anthem. What memories he must harbor, which flow unbidden on days such as these.

It was standing room only this year. The kids and I, among the standees. We could only catch a fraction of the stage from our vantage point in the balcony. But on a day when you remember the blood, sweat, and tears of soldiers; how can you complain about that?

I watched my snippet of the stage and thought of soldiers in fox holes. Doing their duty in one small part of a teaming battlefield. Not knowing what was happening elsewhere. Just doing their jobs. Following orders. Painfully aware of their little snippet of the world. Trying to stay warm. Stay alive.

Evening. I brought in James's flag. It was quiet. No cars going by. No dogs barking. No words uttered. Just fabric gently cracking in the breeze. I looked up at those Stars and Stripes bathed in moonlight and prayed for him. For his parents. They, passing another Veteran's Day in America's heartland. Wishing their son had been sitting on the stage in their auditorium. Leading his family and friends in the pledge. And crying when the National Anthem was sung. Thankful he was home.

Instead, a dream lost. Hopes shattered. On a dusty road in Afghanistan, four long years ago.

Thank you James for your sacrifice. Thank you, Jim and Theresa, for yours. May God bless and comfort you. May you feel His arms around you when it seems like a million years ago. When it seems like only yesterday.

(photo of James's flag, taken by me at noon, and cropped by my son)

I Vow to Thee, My Country

British composer, Gustav Holst (1874-1934), has been on my mind this past week. He is probably best known for his orchestral composition, The Planets. Holst was one of my dad's favorite composers, due to his two Suites for band. I was privileged to play one of those this past Friday. The writing is just wonderful and it was a nice thing to do to commemorate my dad's birthday week.

I found this hymn, put to a melody from The Planets. It seemed appropriate for my past week of thinking of my dad and Holst. And, too, the words are very appropriate for James. He is the young man from Iowa who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. His community had a motorcycle ride today to commemorate his life. They followed it with a visit to the cemetery and a chili supper. The event raises money for a scholarship fund in James's name. The words of this hymn seem appropriate for this event, as well.

(This hymn was also a favorite of Princess Diana's. It was sung at both her wedding and her funeral.)

May God continue to comfort James's family in the loss of their son, brother, uncle.


I Vow to Thee, My Country


I vow to thee, my country—all earthly things above—
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago—
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

9-11 Musings

I well remember my husband waking me up on September 11, 2001, to tell me that two airplanes had hit the Twin Towers.

I well remember calling my mother, half a country away, just to tell her I loved her. Just in case the end had come.

I well remember trying to keep the graphic pictures away from our children, then, ages 8 and 5.

I well remember looking up into the sky later that day. A sky where no planes flew overhead.

I well remember a good friend from high school, now living in New York City, telling me that one of her friends was a stewardess on one of the planes that was flown into the Twin Towers. Her friend loved to knit, and was most likely carrying some knitting on board for one of her grandchildren. Knitting that was destroyed by hateful men. A grandmother that was destroyed by a hateful ideology.

I well remember another friend who had just moved to NYC to play a Broadway show, sending me pictures she took of the Twin Towers just a few days before the attack.

I well remember sending an e-mail to a friend in eastern Europe, telling her that we were OK, but changed forever.



Today I thought of those lives lost. I went to a memorial site, built in our town, commemorating all those who died on September 11, 2001. Each name is etched in bronze. Forever saved in memory.

We flew our American flags today. One on the front of the house. And then James's flag, in the back yard, commemorating a life lost in Afghanistan. A life lost to protect me and you.

God bless all those touched by the losses created on this day.

Thank you to those who have given their lives for us.

Memorial Day

For most Americans, it's a day off. Maybe a short trip over the long weekend. Perhaps a picnic with friends or family. A few people will fly their American flag. They might do a little yard work. Maybe, some will think of someone who died.

Unfortunately, Memorial Day has become just another three day weekend. People don't know that it started at the end of the War Between the States as women put flowers on their loved ones' graves. They have forgotten the meaning of the day: to honor our war dead.

We flew our flag on the front porch today; the only ones on our street to do so. In our backyard we flew another flag that represents a life given in Afghanistan. My husband and I played a concert at a cemetery. We had a cookout at my in-laws'. And all day, I thought of James and his family.

For James's family in Iowa, it's another day without their son. Named after his daddy and grandpa, he went to Afghanistan, tall and strong and brave. He came home earlier than expected. To be buried in the little cemetery outside town.

God bless all the parents who grieve this weekend as they spend another day without their sons (and daughters).

Pray

A friend of mine sent this photo to me, along with this prayer:

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

We've got troops putting their lives on the line every second of every day. Please remember them.

And remember my friend. He and his wife recently went through their second Christmas without their son who was killed in Afghanistan. Please pray that God would comfort them.

James' Flag

Last year during the week surrounding September 11th, our town had thousands of American flags flying in a huge field by the library (pictured here). Each flag represented either someone killed on September 11th, or one of the service persons later killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. This Healing Field gave the citizens of our town an opportunity to remember, reflect, and pay our respects to those killed as a result of the war that has been waged upon our country.

In addition, citizens were allowed to purchase one of the flags to fly at our home, and to help defray the costs of our own September 11th Memorial, dedicated just yesterday. Our family chose to receive a flag of an American serviceman killed in action, and we received the flag bearing the name of a young man from Iowa who was killed in Afghanistan. For a year now, we have flown it in our backyard flower garden on all national holidays, his birthday, the day he was killed, and on this day, September 11th.

I see his flag from our kitchen sink every time we fly it, and I think of his parents, Jim and Theresa. I caught myself several times today, forgetting to be thankful for my blessings. When will I ever learn? Our son was hanging around me while I did a little gardening at our lunch break from school. I wanted him to pull some weeds along with me, and I felt angry inside when he "didn't feel like it." Wouldn't Jim and Theresa have loved to have their son, James, in their yard today, balking at pulling dandelions? Our daughter interrupted us a couple of times when my husband and I were trying to talk at the end of the day, and I snapped at her. Wouldn't Jim and Theresa have loved to have James interrupt them several times at the end of their day?

Yes, our son should help with yard work, and yes, our daughter should refrain from interrupting. But, I should also be patient, thankful, and loving as I tenderly mold our children. This morning I got to watch my son pound the rebar into the ground by the mums in order to post James' flag. He's getting so big, and he does this chore quite willingly each holiday. I got to take our children to the new 9/11 Memorial by the lake near the library. It was cold and drizzling, but the kids said, "This is nothing compared to what those people went through." I got to see my daughter's amazed face when she saw the number of names engraved on the monument depicting the people killed at the Twin Towers. And then, I got to tuck my two precious children into their beds, pray for them, kiss them, and later look in on them as they peacefully slept.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Jim and Theresa.

Veterans' Day

On this day, I'd like to commemorate two very different Veterans. I have met neither one. Yet, each one serves our country and sacrificed much for my freedom and safety. One is currently serving in Iraq. The other is buried in a cemetery in Iowa.

The first one, I saw on the pages of a newspaper article back in March of 2005. His face blazed across the photos, and my (then) eight-year-old daughter decided she wanted to write a letter to him. When he wrote back, my children tipped the envelope over to see if any sand fell out. They are too young to truly appreciate what he has been through just to be able to serve in the military, let alone what he must do every day in Iraq. But they pray for this soldier every day, and in their own way, I see them appreciate his service for them and our country. My daughter calls him "her special friend," and he serves with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. I'd like to share a paragraph from the most recent letter we've received from him.

"We should be a little over half way through this year long rotation and with the cooler temperatures come an increased longing for home. We are mindful however that we still have a mission to accomplish and we are working diligently to ensure that our time here has been well spent. Our hope is to leave this place a little better than it was when we arrived."

How can you not be proud to be protected by a man such as this? Please remember Captain Adams and his men in your prayers.

The second Veteran I'd like to tell you about was a 22 year old Iowa Army National Guardsman from a small town in Iowa. His unit was providing security for government and nonmilitary organizations in Afghanistan. This young man's Humvee was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire, and he gave his life for you and me and countless others on November 1, 2004.

My family bought a US flag from a "Healing Field" that was in our town in September, and we received, at random, the flag commemorating this young soldier. Upon writing to his parents, we received the nicest note from his father, which I would like to share.

"My wife and I will gladly let you fly that flag any time you want. Treat it with the respect it deserves, not only for James, for that flag also represents our country.

"Don't let the media get you down. We talked to James regularly while he was 'over there.' He told us of all the good we are doing, people smiling about how they now have a say in what happens, schools, hospitals, etc... In other words, KEEP THE RESOLVE! James knew that.

"Bless you, from one patriot to another."

Please pray for the family of this young soldier. God bless these courageous and humble Americans. May we never forget their sacrifices and may we always do what we can to keep our country free and great!


"You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense.

Duty, Honor, Country.

This does not mean that you are warmongers. On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

Duty, Honor, Country."

from Army General Douglas MacArthur's farewell address to the cadets at West Point
May 12, 1962