I have mentioned before that I love being part of a military community. But there are many hard things that come along with it. Attending memorials for those who have fallen might be at the top of that list.
I am honored to be able to attend these memorials, but I can honestly say that I hope I don't have to attend many more. Even one more would be too many.
I love being there, watching so many soldiers salute the fallen one last time; watching community members pay their last respects; observing how solemn and respectful an auditorium full of soldiers can be; watching fellow soldiers remove a patch from their uniforms and lay it to rest with the helmet and gun of the fallen.
The moment that brings me to tears is the roll call.
Imagine this:
SGT calls one soldiers name, he calls back.
SGT calls another soldiers name, he calls back.
SGT calls the name of the fallen. No response.
SGT calls full name of the fallen. No response.
One last time, SGT calls name of the fallen. No response.
A door opens. Guns are shot in salute. A soldier plays the trumpet.
I can't even type about it without tearing up.
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