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)