Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~ W.T. Purkiser
One of my chaplains posted this quotation on facebook and I thought it was very insightful. This Thanksgiving has had a significant impact on me, because I realized that it is so easy to take our blessings for granted. Each year we as a society gather together for Thanksgiving and reflect on our blessings and the things we are each thankful for. At least, that is what we should be doing. For some, I'm sure, it's really just about eating a robust meal and falling asleep on the sofa while watching football.
During the past 24 hours 3 families learned that their loved one was lost in the war and won't be home to enjoy a Thanksgiving ever again. We spared one family of having to come to Dover on Thanksgiving day to witness the Dignified Transfer of their son, a fallen US Marine. The flight was delayed in Germany to give the family time to prepare and travel from California to Delaware, which is quite complicated given the volume of air travel that takes place during this holiday weekend. Still, though, they received a notification in the last 24hrs that their son was killed in action. I will meet them tomorrow and stand with them for their son's return home.
Thanksgiving for them will forever be changed and possibly bring with it painful memories for years. I thought deeply about this today and it brought some clarity into my life, which is so often transparent to most of us. We have so much to be eternally thankful for and to count as blessings for God's glory. Instantly, I thought of the breath I just took and then the next. As quickly as I could count them, another one passed. So many things get by us these days that we fail to grasp and understand. Most often they are the simplest of things. A breath, a blink of an eye, a heart beat, or a step. The amazing grace that happens within us, and gives us life to share with others, is going on without our taking notice.
I thought of a certain excerpt from a favorite book of mine that takes inventory of some of our most inherent blessings that we often don't truly think about or understand. They are all part of who we are and give us life. Here's the excerpt The God Memorandum from "The Greatest Miracle In The World" by Og Mandino:
"Are you blind? Does the sun rise and fall without your witness?
No. You can see ... and the hundred million receptors I have placed in your eyes enable you to enjoy the magic of a leaf, a snowflake, a pond, an eagle, a child, a cloud, a star, a rose, a rainbow ... and the look of love. Count one blessing.
Are you deaf? Can a baby laugh or cry without your attention?
No. You can hear ... and the twenty-four thousand fibers I have built in each of your ears vibrate to the wind in the trees, the tides on the rocks, the majesty of an opera, a robin's plea, children at play ... and the words I love you. Count another blessing.
Are you mute? Do your lips move and bring forth only spittle?
No. You can speak ... as can no other of my creatures, and your words can calm the angry, uplift the despondent, goad the quitter, cheer the unhappy, warm the lonely, praise the worthy, encourage the defeated, teach the ignorant ... and say I love you. Count another blessing.
Are you paralyzed? Does your helpless form despoil the land?
No. You can move. You are not a tree condemned to a small plot while the wind and world abuses you. You can stretch and run and dance and work, for within you I have designed five hundred muscles, two hundred bones, and seven miles of nerve fiber all synchronized by me to do your bidding. Count another blessing.
Are you unloved and unloving? Does loneliness engulf you, night and day?
No. No more. For now you know love's secret, that to receive love it must be given with no thought of its return. To love for fulfillment, satisfaction, or pride is no love. Love is a gift on which no return is demanded. Now you know that to love unselfishly is its own reward. And even should love not be returned it is not lost, for love not reciprocated will flow back to you and soften and purify your heart. Count another blessing. Count twice.
Is your heart stricken? Does it leak and strain to maintain your life?
No. Your heart is strong. Touch your chest and feel its rhythm, pulsating, hour after hour, day and night, thirty-six million beats each year, year after year, asleep or awake, pumping your blood through more than sixty thousand miles of veins, arteries, and tubing ... pumping more than six hundred thousand gallons each year. Man has never created such a machine. Count another blessing.
Are you diseased of skin? Do people turn in horror when you approach?
No. Your skin is clear and a marvel of creation, needing only that you tend it with soap and oil and brush and care. In time all steels will tarnish and rust, but not your skin. Eventually the strongest of metals will wear, with use, but not that layer that I have constructed around you. Constantly it renews itself, old cells replaced by new, just as the old you is now replaced by the new. Count another blessing.
Are your lungs befouled? Does your breath of life struggle to enter your body?
No. Your portholes to life support you even in the vilest of environments of your own making, and they labor always to filter life-giving oxygen through six hundred million pockets of folded flesh while they rid your body of gaseous wastes. Count another blessing.
Is your blood poisoned? Is it diluted with water and pus?
No. Within your five quarts of blood are twenty-two trillion blood cells and within each cell are millions of molecules and within each molecule is an atom oscillating at more than ten million times each second. Each second, two million of your blood cells die to be replaced by two million more in a resurrection that has continued since your first birth. As it has always been inside, so now it is on your outside. Count another blessing.
Are you feeble of mind? Can you no longer think for yourself?
No. Your brain is the most complex structure in the universe. I know. Within its three pounds are thirteen billion nerve cells, more than three times as many cells as there are people on your earth. To help you file away every perception, every sound, every taste, every smell, every action you have experienced since the day of your birth, I have implanted, within your cells, more than one thousand billion billion protein molecules. Every incident in your life is there waiting only your recall. And, to assist your brain in the control of your body I have dispersed, throughout your form, four million pain-sensitive structures, five hundred thousand touch detectors, and more than two hundred thousand temperature detectors. No nation's gold is better protected than you. None of your ancient wonders are greater than you.
You are my finest creation.
Within you is enough atomic energy to destroy any of the world's great cities ... and rebuild it.
Are you poor? Is there no gold or silver in your purse?
No. You are rich! Together we have just counted your wealth. Study the list. Count them again. Tally your assets!
You have so much. Your blessings overflow your cup ... and you have been unmindful of them, like a child spoiled in luxury, since I have bestowed them upon you with generosity and regularity.
What rich man, old and sick, feeble and helpless, would not exchange all the gold in his vault for the blessings you have treated so lightly."
I have witnessed so many fallen in these past few months, all miracles in their own rite, posessing the same blessings that are mentioned above. I hope and pray that they used their gifts to the greatest extent, while with us on this earth. As mentioned in the quote at the beginning of this post, it's how we use our blessings that allow us to truly measure our thanksgiving. Those of us that still walk this earth have a chance, everyday, to use the blessings and the gifts that God bestowed upon us. We should be thankful we have today, and lean not on our own understanding, but on the one who created us to direct our paths for tomorrow and the days He has planned for us. May we all be grateful and use our gifts to make a difference in this world, leaving it better than we found it.
I like to think about each one of the heroes I've met here at Dover in that sense. That they left this world a little better than they found it. Even if they changed one life along the way, that's enough for us all to be thankful for.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Fisher House Dedication
Today I attended a dedication ceremony for the Fisher House that was built on Dover Air Force Base. The house is a place where families of the fallen can stay without cost as they wait for the homecoming they never wanted to happen.
Many distinguished guests were in attendance. The Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff for the US Air Force, Chief of Chaplains for the US Air Force, Gold Star Moms & Wives, and Montel Williams to name a notable few. The ceremony was extremely moving and brought tears to my eyes many times, as they talked about the Fisher House and the role it will play here at Dover.
All other Fisher Houses, of which there are 49, are designed to house military families needing to be close to a loved one during hospitalization due to illness, disease, or injury. The Fisher House at Dover is the only one of its kind that is there to comfort families as they wait for the Dignified Transfer of their fallen loved one. Truly, this place is unique due to the sacredness of its purpose. It will be ready for occupancy shortly after Thanksgiving, so I will have a chance to see it put to use before I head home.
Inside this home for the families of our fallen, there are many rooms and places to seek peace and comfort. There are 9 bedrooms, a large formal dining room, a formal living room area, a massive kitchen with every kind of appliance imaginable. There is a laundry facility and a sitting area with a huge flat screen television. Outside there are gardens and a labyrinth, which lead to a meditation pagoda for peaceful reflection and quiet solitude. A sidewalk eventually ends at the Center for the Families of the Fallen.
What was once just a parking lot and some grass surrounding the Center for the Families of the Fallen, has now been transformed into a beautiful campus for these families to find peace, comfort and rest, as they await the Dignified Transfer of their fallen loved one. As Chairman Kenneth Fisher said, it was a gift long-overdue to the deserving. "We make a solemn vow to honor the gifts these heroes have left us," Fisher said. "There can be nothing more sacred than that."
If your interested in learning more about the Fisher House Foundation, you can go to their webpage: www.fisherhouse.org
Many distinguished guests were in attendance. The Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff for the US Air Force, Chief of Chaplains for the US Air Force, Gold Star Moms & Wives, and Montel Williams to name a notable few. The ceremony was extremely moving and brought tears to my eyes many times, as they talked about the Fisher House and the role it will play here at Dover.
All other Fisher Houses, of which there are 49, are designed to house military families needing to be close to a loved one during hospitalization due to illness, disease, or injury. The Fisher House at Dover is the only one of its kind that is there to comfort families as they wait for the Dignified Transfer of their fallen loved one. Truly, this place is unique due to the sacredness of its purpose. It will be ready for occupancy shortly after Thanksgiving, so I will have a chance to see it put to use before I head home.
Inside this home for the families of our fallen, there are many rooms and places to seek peace and comfort. There are 9 bedrooms, a large formal dining room, a formal living room area, a massive kitchen with every kind of appliance imaginable. There is a laundry facility and a sitting area with a huge flat screen television. Outside there are gardens and a labyrinth, which lead to a meditation pagoda for peaceful reflection and quiet solitude. A sidewalk eventually ends at the Center for the Families of the Fallen.
What was once just a parking lot and some grass surrounding the Center for the Families of the Fallen, has now been transformed into a beautiful campus for these families to find peace, comfort and rest, as they await the Dignified Transfer of their fallen loved one. As Chairman Kenneth Fisher said, it was a gift long-overdue to the deserving. "We make a solemn vow to honor the gifts these heroes have left us," Fisher said. "There can be nothing more sacred than that."
If your interested in learning more about the Fisher House Foundation, you can go to their webpage: www.fisherhouse.org
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Continued Thoughts & Prayers
A number of weeks ago, I posted a list of the fallen that passed through Dover AFB, since my arrival. I entitled the post "Prayer List".
The following are names of the fallen that arrived back on american soil since I posted that list on October 5, 2010.
Staff Sgt. Willie J. Harley Jr., 48, of Aiken, SC
Spc. Luther W. Rabon Jr., 32, of Lexington, SC
Sgt. Anthony D. Matteoni, 22, of Union City, MI
Sgt. 1st Class Lance H. Vogeler, 29, of Frederick, MD
Spc. Joseph T. Prentler, 20, of Fenwick, MI
Sgt. Brian J. Pedro, 27, of Rosamond, CA
Senior Airman Daniel J. Johnson, 23, of Schiller Park, IL
Pfc. Cody A. Board, 19, of McKinney, TX
Sgt. Karl A. Campbell, 34, of Chiefland, FL
Pfc. Ryane G. Clark, 22, of New London, MN
Lance Cpl. Scott A. Lynch, 22, of Greenwood Lake, NY
Cpl. Stephen C. Sockalosky, 21, of Cordele, Ga
Hospital Corpsman Edwin Gonzalez, 22, of North Miami Beach, FL
Lance Cpl. John T. Sparks, 23, of Chicago, IL
Sgt. Frank R. Zaehringer III, 23, of Reno, NV
Staff Sgt. Dave J. Weigle, 29, of Philadelphia, PA
Spc. David A. Hess, 25, of Ruskin, FL
Spc. Matthew C. Powell, 20, of Slidell, LA
Lance Cpl. Raymon L. A. Johnson, 22, of Midland, GA
Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, WI
Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of Saint Charles, MO
Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, OR
Pfc. Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, CA
Pfc. Jordan M. Byrd, 19, of Grantsville, UT
Lance Cpl. Irvin M. Ceniceros, 21, of Clarksville, AR
Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood, 19, of Byron, IL
Sgt. Eric C. Newman, 30, of Waynesboro, MS
Sgt. Carlos A. Benitez, 24, of Carrollton, TX
Spc. Rafael Martinez Jr., 36, of Spring Valley, CA
Pfc. Tramaine J. Billingsley, 20, of Portsmouth, VA
Lance Cpl. Joseph C. Lopez, 26, of Rosamond, CA
Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk, 24, of Oceanside, CA
Pfc. Dylan T. Reid, 24, of Springfield, MO
Sgt. Ian M. Tawney, 25, of Dallas, OR
Cpl. Jorge Villarreal Jr., 22, of San Antonio, TX
Lance Cpl. Francisco R. Jackson, 24, of Elizabeth, NJ
Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Cullins, 28, of Simi Valley, CA
Spc. Gerald R. Jenkins, 19, of Circleville, OH
Staff Sgt. Kenneth K. McAninch, 28, of Logansport, IN
Spc. Ronnie J. Pallares, 19, of Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Spc. Steven L. Dupont, 20, of Lafayette, LA
Sgt. 1st Class Charles M. Sadell, 34, of Columbia, MO
Staff Sgt. Aracely Gonzalez O’Malley, 31, of Brawley, CA
Spc. Thomas A. Moffitt, 21, of Wichita, KS
Pfc. David R. Jones Jr., 21, of Saint Johnsville, NY
Sgt. 1st Class Phillip C. Tanner, 43, of Sheridan, WY
Sgt. Michael D. Kirspel Jr., 23, of Hopatcong, NJ
Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr., 19, of Waldorf, MD
Staff Sgt. Adam L. Dickmyer, 26, of Winston Salem, NC
Spc. Pedro A. Maldonado, 20, of Houston, TX
Spc. Diego A. Solorzanovaldovinos, 24, of Huntington Park, CA
Spc. Brett W. Land, 24, of Wasco, CA
Spc. Jonathan M. Curtis, 24, of Belmont, MA
Pfc. Andrew N. Meari, 21, of Plainfield, IL
1st Lt. James R. Zimmerman, 25, of Aroostook, ME
Sgt. 1st Class Todd M. Harris, 37, of Tucson, AZ
Spc. James C. Young, 25, of Rochester, IL
The following are names of the fallen that arrived back on american soil since I posted that list on October 5, 2010.
Staff Sgt. Willie J. Harley Jr., 48, of Aiken, SC
Spc. Luther W. Rabon Jr., 32, of Lexington, SC
Sgt. Anthony D. Matteoni, 22, of Union City, MI
Sgt. 1st Class Lance H. Vogeler, 29, of Frederick, MD
Spc. Joseph T. Prentler, 20, of Fenwick, MI
Sgt. Brian J. Pedro, 27, of Rosamond, CA
Senior Airman Daniel J. Johnson, 23, of Schiller Park, IL
Pfc. Cody A. Board, 19, of McKinney, TX
Sgt. Karl A. Campbell, 34, of Chiefland, FL
Pfc. Ryane G. Clark, 22, of New London, MN
Lance Cpl. Scott A. Lynch, 22, of Greenwood Lake, NY
Cpl. Stephen C. Sockalosky, 21, of Cordele, Ga
Hospital Corpsman Edwin Gonzalez, 22, of North Miami Beach, FL
Lance Cpl. John T. Sparks, 23, of Chicago, IL
Sgt. Frank R. Zaehringer III, 23, of Reno, NV
Staff Sgt. Dave J. Weigle, 29, of Philadelphia, PA
Spc. David A. Hess, 25, of Ruskin, FL
Spc. Matthew C. Powell, 20, of Slidell, LA
Lance Cpl. Raymon L. A. Johnson, 22, of Midland, GA
Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, WI
Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of Saint Charles, MO
Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, OR
Pfc. Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, CA
Pfc. Jordan M. Byrd, 19, of Grantsville, UT
Lance Cpl. Irvin M. Ceniceros, 21, of Clarksville, AR
Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood, 19, of Byron, IL
Sgt. Eric C. Newman, 30, of Waynesboro, MS
Sgt. Carlos A. Benitez, 24, of Carrollton, TX
Spc. Rafael Martinez Jr., 36, of Spring Valley, CA
Pfc. Tramaine J. Billingsley, 20, of Portsmouth, VA
Lance Cpl. Joseph C. Lopez, 26, of Rosamond, CA
Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk, 24, of Oceanside, CA
Pfc. Dylan T. Reid, 24, of Springfield, MO
Sgt. Ian M. Tawney, 25, of Dallas, OR
Cpl. Jorge Villarreal Jr., 22, of San Antonio, TX
Lance Cpl. Francisco R. Jackson, 24, of Elizabeth, NJ
Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Cullins, 28, of Simi Valley, CA
Spc. Gerald R. Jenkins, 19, of Circleville, OH
Staff Sgt. Kenneth K. McAninch, 28, of Logansport, IN
Spc. Ronnie J. Pallares, 19, of Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Spc. Steven L. Dupont, 20, of Lafayette, LA
Sgt. 1st Class Charles M. Sadell, 34, of Columbia, MO
Staff Sgt. Aracely Gonzalez O’Malley, 31, of Brawley, CA
Spc. Thomas A. Moffitt, 21, of Wichita, KS
Pfc. David R. Jones Jr., 21, of Saint Johnsville, NY
Sgt. 1st Class Phillip C. Tanner, 43, of Sheridan, WY
Sgt. Michael D. Kirspel Jr., 23, of Hopatcong, NJ
Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr., 19, of Waldorf, MD
Staff Sgt. Adam L. Dickmyer, 26, of Winston Salem, NC
Spc. Pedro A. Maldonado, 20, of Houston, TX
Spc. Diego A. Solorzanovaldovinos, 24, of Huntington Park, CA
Spc. Brett W. Land, 24, of Wasco, CA
Spc. Jonathan M. Curtis, 24, of Belmont, MA
Pfc. Andrew N. Meari, 21, of Plainfield, IL
1st Lt. James R. Zimmerman, 25, of Aroostook, ME
Sgt. 1st Class Todd M. Harris, 37, of Tucson, AZ
Spc. James C. Young, 25, of Rochester, IL
In addition, please keep the the families of Michael F. Paranzino, Matthew J. Broehm, Brandon Pearson, and Jason J. McCluskey, who were present last night for their Dignified Transfer to United States soil.
Please be mindful, also, that we will be with several more families this evening to bring home 4 more brave americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country and for the sake of liberty and freedom throughout this world. May the comfort and peace of God be with all of these servicemen and their families during this Veteran's Day week and as they deal with the grief and sorrow of their loss in the days that lie ahead.
Dignified Transfers witnessed (112)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Visible Reminders
Its been sometime since I posted my last blog. I am not sure why, but several reasons come to mind. One, I'm just too busy to sit down and write several times a week. Two, I hesitate to write too many sad & depressing accounts each month, figuring that after a while, no one will want to read them anymore. Three, I think alot more now about what truly will be impactful, versus the day to day, week to week events. Lastly, my days literally move past with blazing speed and what happens becomes transparent and I am forced to focus on what lies ahead, rather than what has taken place.
Today, however, I was thoroughly engaged in completing production on a tribute DVD that I started a couple months ago. The idea was originally to produce a presentation that encompassed all the names of the fallen heroes that we cared for here during this tour. I set a goal to complete the project by the time my team and I leave the mortuary. I would present a copy to each chaplain that I worked with and it would be a keepsake for them. A time capsule, if you will, of all the fallen we touched during our brief moment in this place. So, I began to teach myself how to use Windows Movie Maker on my laptop. I began to search out riveting photos on the Air Force Mortuary Affairs website, which by the way is out in the public domain. So, safe to say, all the pictures and names that I accessed were already released and cleared by the Public Affairs office. The more I pondered the concept of building this presentation, the more detailed and involved it became.
I chose several pieces of music to accompany the video. Each piece moves the story along and adds reflection and emotion to the production. The first song is called "Healing Hand Of God" by Jeremy Camp, followed by "Amazing Grace" played by a Navy brass ensemble, and the third piece is a majestic instrumental called "Soaring Splendor" written to complement a narrative on Banff National Park in Alberta Canada. All the musical elements combine with transitioning photos of Dignified Transfers and names of all the fallen beginning June 25, 2010 to October 31, 2010.
A staggering 231 fallen heroes have passed through Dover Air Force Base since I began my work here in late June. I added a couple dozen more today to be as current as possible, so the first rendition of the DVD I'm making can be used for a remembrance service on Veteran's Day. The chaplain team is planning a service on November 8th, to pay tribute to our Veteran's and our Fallen. I offered the presentation a little earlier than planned, thinking it would be a nice accompaniment to the service. So, it will be viewed as part of the program. I will continue working on it throughout November and December so that when we are finished with our tour, it will encompass all who fell and passed before our eyes. I can't even imagine how many names will be in the presentation when my time is done here. It is just a sobering thought.
To add even more levity to that number, think about all the family members, who came here to attend the dignified transfers. The chaplain team I'm a part of has cared for and tended to each family during this time. We also worked in the mortuary with all the technicians and deployed staff to prepare all the remains of our fallen for their final trip home. The chaplain team is an integral part of the resiliency program in the mortuary too, so we also work on ensuring that each member is maintaining a healthy spirit and counseled on wellness when working here. I could continue with many other duties we perform, but I digress.
You know, today, as I was working on completing the DVD for the Veteran's Day service, I was listening to the television. News programs popped in and out throughout the day. I could hear reports of all kinds of things typical of an early morning news program. In particular, the political ads were running at nauseum, which prompted me to hit the mute button before my ears began bleeding. I thought and reflected on how each and every day there is someone in our armed services giving their lives in sacrifice for this country. They serve our nation and go above and beyond what any typical citizen would do to make this a free society to live in and they don't even get an honorable mention, so people can be reminded of those giving all to a cause greater than any. Instead we hear about a flight attendant, who popped the escape chute and jumped off the plane, or a celebrity who is headed to rehab for the 5th or 6th time. A movie star gets wasted and trashes a hotel room, or political leaders blaming each other for petty, bogus issues. What we take for granted is quite shameful. In just a few short months, 231 brave americans came home having lost their lives in unimagineable circumstances. What I've witnessed most people can't fathom in their worst nightmares. Yet, our society just goes on, blindly forgetting the cost that is paid for their freedoms and rights. On Veteran's Day, most vets will be working while many others get the day off and don't even think of saying thank you or paying tribute in some small fashion to the people who sacrificed most of their lives to creating this free society we enjoy. Of course, there are our veteran's, our fallen, who never made it home at all, who deserve a thoughtful prayer. I wonder, if in today's culture, many really stop to think, REALLY THINK and care about the cost, which is paid on their behalf every single day. For me, there are visible reminders each day, which will stay with me the rest of my life. The Dignified Transfers, the families, the fallen and all that takes place here to honor and respect them. Thanks be to God for their service and their sacrifice.
Dignified Transfers witnessed (102)
Today, however, I was thoroughly engaged in completing production on a tribute DVD that I started a couple months ago. The idea was originally to produce a presentation that encompassed all the names of the fallen heroes that we cared for here during this tour. I set a goal to complete the project by the time my team and I leave the mortuary. I would present a copy to each chaplain that I worked with and it would be a keepsake for them. A time capsule, if you will, of all the fallen we touched during our brief moment in this place. So, I began to teach myself how to use Windows Movie Maker on my laptop. I began to search out riveting photos on the Air Force Mortuary Affairs website, which by the way is out in the public domain. So, safe to say, all the pictures and names that I accessed were already released and cleared by the Public Affairs office. The more I pondered the concept of building this presentation, the more detailed and involved it became.
I chose several pieces of music to accompany the video. Each piece moves the story along and adds reflection and emotion to the production. The first song is called "Healing Hand Of God" by Jeremy Camp, followed by "Amazing Grace" played by a Navy brass ensemble, and the third piece is a majestic instrumental called "Soaring Splendor" written to complement a narrative on Banff National Park in Alberta Canada. All the musical elements combine with transitioning photos of Dignified Transfers and names of all the fallen beginning June 25, 2010 to October 31, 2010.
A staggering 231 fallen heroes have passed through Dover Air Force Base since I began my work here in late June. I added a couple dozen more today to be as current as possible, so the first rendition of the DVD I'm making can be used for a remembrance service on Veteran's Day. The chaplain team is planning a service on November 8th, to pay tribute to our Veteran's and our Fallen. I offered the presentation a little earlier than planned, thinking it would be a nice accompaniment to the service. So, it will be viewed as part of the program. I will continue working on it throughout November and December so that when we are finished with our tour, it will encompass all who fell and passed before our eyes. I can't even imagine how many names will be in the presentation when my time is done here. It is just a sobering thought.
To add even more levity to that number, think about all the family members, who came here to attend the dignified transfers. The chaplain team I'm a part of has cared for and tended to each family during this time. We also worked in the mortuary with all the technicians and deployed staff to prepare all the remains of our fallen for their final trip home. The chaplain team is an integral part of the resiliency program in the mortuary too, so we also work on ensuring that each member is maintaining a healthy spirit and counseled on wellness when working here. I could continue with many other duties we perform, but I digress.
You know, today, as I was working on completing the DVD for the Veteran's Day service, I was listening to the television. News programs popped in and out throughout the day. I could hear reports of all kinds of things typical of an early morning news program. In particular, the political ads were running at nauseum, which prompted me to hit the mute button before my ears began bleeding. I thought and reflected on how each and every day there is someone in our armed services giving their lives in sacrifice for this country. They serve our nation and go above and beyond what any typical citizen would do to make this a free society to live in and they don't even get an honorable mention, so people can be reminded of those giving all to a cause greater than any. Instead we hear about a flight attendant, who popped the escape chute and jumped off the plane, or a celebrity who is headed to rehab for the 5th or 6th time. A movie star gets wasted and trashes a hotel room, or political leaders blaming each other for petty, bogus issues. What we take for granted is quite shameful. In just a few short months, 231 brave americans came home having lost their lives in unimagineable circumstances. What I've witnessed most people can't fathom in their worst nightmares. Yet, our society just goes on, blindly forgetting the cost that is paid for their freedoms and rights. On Veteran's Day, most vets will be working while many others get the day off and don't even think of saying thank you or paying tribute in some small fashion to the people who sacrificed most of their lives to creating this free society we enjoy. Of course, there are our veteran's, our fallen, who never made it home at all, who deserve a thoughtful prayer. I wonder, if in today's culture, many really stop to think, REALLY THINK and care about the cost, which is paid on their behalf every single day. For me, there are visible reminders each day, which will stay with me the rest of my life. The Dignified Transfers, the families, the fallen and all that takes place here to honor and respect them. Thanks be to God for their service and their sacrifice.
Dignified Transfers witnessed (102)
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