My Memorial Day Hero - This morning I attended a Memorial Day celebration in the small town of Lebanon Tennessee. I thought it would be a good chance to get some good shots of home town heros and hear stories from the veterans. As walked through the small crowd taking photos there was an older lady which everyone seemed to know. She had a smile and hug for everyone. She was the only one in all white which made her stand out as she made her way through the crowd. As I focused in on her to get her photograph, I noticed the gold star on her blouse. A Gold Star Mother….the mother of a fallen soldier. It was hard to imagine this outgoing, bubbly and happy mother could have ever suffered through such a loss no matter how long ago it was. Yet there she was smiling and welcoming all as if they were all her children.
Near the end of the service a wreath was placed at the memorial marker in front of the courthouse. The wreath was placed by this Gold Star Mother as well as two veterans. She stood quietly saluting as taps played. It was the only time you could see the sadness in her eyes. As taps ended she hugged the veterans standing with her and returned to her seat. As quickly as the sadness appeared on her face, it disappeared. The service ended and she went about thanking everyone for attending, handing out plenty of hugs and kisses as she worked her way through the crowd.
On Memorial Day we always remember our fallen soldiers. But let’s not forget the ones left to carry on. The family members left to help us remember what our sacrifices were and put a face to all the names we could so quickly forget.
