Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Memorial Day May 28, 2012
Sponsored by the Murfreesboro Noon Exchange Club
During the holiday weekend, my daughter, son-in-law and I drove about twenty-five miles outside of Nashville to see this Memorial Tribute to our fallen Heroes.
Hollie and Larry purchased a flag to honor, my paternal uncle, Homer Anderson who served
in Africa under Patton in World War II.
An attendant helped us locate the flag assigned to us and helped us attach my uncle's name.
Afterward we then walked through the nearly thousand flags. Since we were in Tennessee, it was not surprising that we ran across this flag.
This tribute honored Elvis Presley
He was drafted into the Army.
On March 24 1958, he entered into service
and was discharged on 5 Mar 1960.
The three of us wandered through row upon row of beautiful flags rustling in the breeze. Many of the flags had photos of handsome young servicemen. Many of them barely out of their teens. My heart grew heavy
as I reflected upon the fact that these young men were some one's son, husband, lover or father. We then saw this tribute that put it all in perspective. We saw in writing the price that these young heroes had paid.
This handsome young serviceman, this son, husband and father would not come home to rear his son. His son had left a letter for his Dad. It was sealed in a plastic sleeve and attached to his Daddy's flag.
It was hard to photograph the letter in the bright sun, but it read as follows:
Dear Dad,
I hope you love heven. If I new you better that would be so cool. Its awesome that you fought for our country. But I wish you hadent died. If my Dad hadent died I would of known some cool things.
I love you Dad.
Bye.
When we are sunning on the beach, barbecuing with friends and family, cruising the mall and especially when we vote this November, remember that this, forever absent, Daddy helped make it possible.
I am sharing with:
23 comments:
How awesome that you could visit this place and walk through the flags! It really puts it all in perspective. Great photos and thought-provoking words. Thank you!
Hugs, GraceinAZ
Ginger...this is an awesome post!!....such a special tribute to all...the flags are breathtaking..I am sure that they were beyond breathtaking in person....
Hi Ginger!
I can only imagine how it must have been to see all those flags in person. So many flags... It must really put things into perspective.
You spent you afternoon in a very admirable way. As you said in your post it is not all about BBQ's and shopping.
Thanks for sharing at my party this week!
xoxo Bunny Jean
What an awesome tribute Miss Ginger. hugs, Cherry
Boy- Doesn't that bring tears rolling down your cheeks? And the sad thing is that is just one of many, many Dads that never came home so we could be free- xo Diana
Ramon and I were just in Nashville May 17-20. I wish I would have known about this. It would have been worth the drive to see. I didn't know there was a town named Murfreesboro. I saw the street in Nashville with that name, though. What a wonderful tribute, but how sad the reason it exists. Tears just jumped all into my eyes to see that letter from the little boy. It breaks my heart. We proudly fly the American flag 365 days a year except for if the KC Chiefs win....then the Chiefs flag flies for 24 hours. Hasn't been a lot of that in recent seasons! :-) I can remember a time when - at least in small towns in America - the American flag was a common sight hanging from posts or above doorways. This was an excellent way to spend your time, Ginger. Thanks to your uncle and all the soldiers like him who gave so much.
Oh, Ginger, what a touching post. I'm sure you were walking around with tears in your eyes. We attended two wonderful Memorial Day events and my heart just grew bigger with pride and thanks to those who gave their all for our country.
Thanks so much for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
What an emotional experience to see all those remembrance flags along with the personal notes of tribute. Thanks for sharing this special way you spent Memorial Day.
Visiting from the Bunny Hop. Debra
What an amazing place to visit Ginger! That letter was so touching.
Oh, wow! What a beautiful and touching post. Chilling even...and it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing these precious soldiers with us at Show & Tell.
You're right...it's hard to wrap my mind around how young these soldiers are when they go off to fight and then lose their lives in battle. Unfathomable.
Sharon @ mrs. hines class
Oh Ginger...goose bumps and tears, what a great post! How proud that little boy will always be of his hero Dad
Carol
Oh Ginger...goose bumps and tears, what a great post! How proud that little boy will always be of his hero Dad
Carol
I don't think I'd be able to walk through a memorial such as this without crying. So much tragedy and sorrow and so much bravery and pride are represented in places such as this. Sure does make me thankful to be an American! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!
Ginger, that letter should be published everywhere, for all to see. I have tears running down my face for that child. How easy it is to forget in the everyday rush of things that our soldiers are still out there risking their lives so we can enjoy a hamburger in peace. Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us and so glad to meet you.
Dearest Ginger,
You sure had a meaningful Memorial Day with you loved ones! This is very touching... we owe all those heroes a lot of gratitude for giving us FREEDOM. Let's pray that the young(er) generation will appreciate it and realize how fragile FREEDOM is.
Love to you,
Mariette
What a great memorial. I almost cried reading that letter from that little boy. Thanks for sharing!
What a beautiful post Ginger!~ Lovely tribute and fabulous photos and words.
Ginger, this is an amazing tribute to America's heros. Thank you for sharing this. Your photos are gorgeous. I feel as if I were in those fields myself.
Such a beautiful and moving display. Brought tears as I read the letter from that little boy. We all have so much to be grateful for because of all these heroes.
What a lovely tribute, Ginger. I truly enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for sharing...
So happy you shared this with us. Hugs and wishes for a beautiful week ahead.
I'm just seeing this now, and it is heart grabbing. The note to the father just breaks my heart.
Heartwrenching and Beautiful Ginger. Seeing so many flags and knowing there is a story behind each one is overwhelming. Thanks for sharing this reminder of what it means to live in a free country. Bless that childs heart!
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