Never Forget
We are privileged to live in the United States of America. A country that never forgets, a country that chooses to remember.
This month are two important days of remembrance. Two days when our nation stops to honor heroes and victims.
September 11th
On Monday September 11, we will honor and remember first responders and the victims of that tragic day in September 2001. The beautiful morning when our nation was attacked in New York City at the World Trade Center, The Pentagon in Washington, DC and a farmer’s field in Pennsylvania.
Monday, September 11th all across our nation, communities will come together, stopping to remember the tragic morning which shocked our country. First Responders will be recognized and honored for their service and the security and comfort they provide to our communities.
Prayers will be offered, our Nation’s Flag will be flown at half staff, patriotic songs and hymns will be sung, wreaths will be laid. On this day, the ceremony is a time to stop, remember, and bestow honor to the heroes, victims, and first responders of that terrible day of September 11, 2001.
As the father of a Sheriff’s Deputy this day is especially important to me. I remember that September morning in 2001 when he, his brother and sister, and I were sitting in our living room watching the news on TV. I remember the significance of the moment. The fear and uncertainty that was brought to our hearts and minds. I remember saying, “Your lives are forever changed. Never again will America be the same”. I told them, “This is not only an attack against America, it is an attack on the American Values, of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness and our foundation of faith.”
National POW/MIA Remembrance Day
The following Friday September 15, 2017 on National Remembrance Day, American Legion Post 57 will host a ceremony at 1100 hrs in Veterans Memorial Park, Newnan, Georgia. Our National Remembrance Day ceremony will be different from ceremonies you may have attended before. As in other ceremonies prayers will be offered, our Nation’s Flag will be honored, respect will be rendered, proclamations will be read, but a table for 6 is set, yet the table remains empty.
Why six place settings you ask? That is a great question. Each place setting represents each of the five branches of Military Service: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. The sixth place setting is for civilians.
The table is round to represent an everlasting concern. A white tablecloth represents the purity of motives as do the stripes on our flag. A red rose is in a vase in the center of the table reminding us of each life that remains to be accounted for. The vase has a yellow ribbon symbolizing our continued determination to account for each and every missing man. A slice of lemon is on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate captured or missing in a foreign land. Salt on the plate symbolizes the many tears shed by loved ones and brothers in arms. A Bible on the table reminds us of our service to a country founded as a nation under God. The glasses are inverted, our brothers are not able to toast with us. The chairs are empty, they are still missing and unaccounted for. The table remains empty, our POW and MIA heroes cannot sit and eat with us.
Take a moment giving thanks
Unlike many ceremonies this one is different because each time we sit down at a table to enjoy a meal we can now stop and remember. We remember those who cannot enjoy a meal with us. We remember those who have served our country so we may experience the freedom we have, yet they have not yet come home. We remember those family members who have yet to receive word or confirmation regarding their loved ones whom they said good-bye and never were able to be welcomed home.
This September please consider attending one or both of these events in your community. If we do not support and promote the things that make this country great, who will?
See you on the “Open Road”,