Remembering!!!

I get up every morning about 5:00 to get Brian off to work. He leaves about 5:30 or so. After he leaves I usually change the block calendar in my window sill, go to the bathroom and then head back to my room. I usually go back to bed, but I don't always (well, hardly ever) fall right back to sleep. Now it is starting to get day light, which makes it even harder for me to go back to sleep. This morning, I played yahtzee on my iPod for a while, then I got tired of doing that so I laid back down. As I was laying there thoughts started streaming through my mind, as I'm sure you all can relate to. I don't know how or why, but I began thinking about one of "my boys" from Oklahoma. His face came back to my remembrance so crystal clear, and it has been YEARS since I have seen him. I began to reminisce about the times we had gone to camp, had youth activities at church, and even had the kids over to the house. His smile was captivating, and could cheer up a room upon entrance. He was always happy. I can't really recall the last time I saw him, but like I said it has been years.

As I lay there thinking of him my eyes began to well with tears, as the thoughts of laughter, camp, and fun times turned to the thoughts of his funeral and his wailing mother hugging Brian for dear life. The thoughts of that day brought such sorrow to my heart this morning, and even now as I write this with tears in my eyes. I got up and got online and began to look up pages, and realized that his death was a year ago this week. It made me even more sad.

Army Cpl. Gary Moore was a Military Police Officer serving in Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by a road side bomb. I will never forget when Brian came home and told me the news that day. I was heartbroken. I am so thankful we were able to go to the funeral. I have been to several funerals in my time, but I have never been to a funeral as sad as that one that day. The church was packed with hundreds of people coming to pay their respects for a fallen soldier. Military men and women in uniform everywhere. Police and Firemen and women as well. It was an experience I will not soon forget.

As we arrived at the church there was David Hall's Traveling Liberty Bell. It was the saddest bell I have ever heard. It rang loud and long throughout the streets of Oklahoma City. I couldn't help but start to cry before we ever walked onto the parking lot of the church. Once we reached the parking lot, the Patriot Riders' motorcycles lined the parking lot with waving flags, with the hearse and family car close behind. We finally made it into the church, my make up was already shot. There were red, white and blue flowers everywhere you looked, and right down the center aisle a flag covered coffin. I began to bawl. They had a beautiful service. If there were any lost there that day, which I'm sure there were, they can't stand before God and say they never heard, after that day. Bro. Sam Davison, and Bro. Jason Gaddis did and excellent job. As they began to let people go, row by row, we were finally released. We went up the far row and across the back to head down the middle aisle in front of the casket. When we approached Gary's mom, Mrs. Vicki, she was standing there and when she saw Brian she grabbed him for dear life, and held on tight. She cried, and I didn't think she would ever let go. I just stood back and cried. When she finally let Brian go, she hugged me then we walked to the front row and hugged the other boys, and their wives. We finally made it back out to the truck, and headed to the grave site.

The trip to the grave site was quite a way. The funeral procession was long. We were pretty close to the back. As we drove by cars, they must have been sitting there for a while. I remember one guy was sleeping in his car he had been pulled over for so long. As we got closer to the cemetery there were flags flying all along the side of the road; and the closer we got, there were people standing on the sides of the streets waving flags, and with their hands over their hearts, and men with their hats off. Women in scrubs from the doctors office. Men in uniform from the lumber/hardware store, men and women of all ages, and children all waving their flags and paying their respects to a soldier they didn't even know. As we road by all these people I couldn't imagine the pride Gary's mom must have been feeling for her son at that moment seeing all those people gathered for her son. As we came to the entrance of the cemetery the highway was blocked off by fire trucks and police cars. They were angled to make an entrance to the cemetery. As we drove through the gates the way was lined with big flags, flying in the wind. We never got to the actual grave site, we had to park and walk forever. (I didn't wear walking shoes) As we got out of the truck we could already hear the bell. The grave side was just as sad, if not more so than the actual funeral. They had the 21 gun salute, taps on the bugle, and the presentation of the flag to his mom. All very emotional.

I guess I said all that to say, I am glad to be an American. I am glad/proud to have known, personally, a U.S. Soldier who fought and died so that I can live here in America and feel safe. I have known/know many soldiers, but never one who has died for our freedoms.