Posted on 11/11/2006 6:47:21 AM PST by SandRat
Today is Veterans Day. It has a special meaning to me both as a veteran and as a father of a veteran who gave his young life (he was 21) believing in freedom for all regardless of nationality. As many of you know, Case, as we called him, was killed in Iraq on Sept. 25.
We will never know what he would have achieved had he not been killed in Iraq, but we do know what he achieved while alive. I remember him always smiling and fun to be around. He was a loyal friend who never hesitated to help others even if it meant sacrificing his own comfort. Very few people knew this shy man who was humble and did not like being the center of attention. He would have been very surprised, as we traveled to the funeral home, to see all of you paying final respect for something he considered his duty. It was a poignant time for me looking out and seeing all of you supporting him in his belief of freedom for all. I clearly remember seeing people who did not know my son sitting in their cars and standing in the streets literally crying as we passed. There will never be words to express our thanks to everyone in the community who came to join our family in honoring and mourning Case. It made me proud not only of my son but of all of you for pulling together during our very hard times, but most importantly for the support you showed toward my son, whom I love more than life itself. I will never forget you, and may not know all the names, but the faces are etched in my mind forever.
Today, we are not only honoring my son, but all the fallen heroes from the past and present wars who scarified their lives so we may voice our opinion and not have to worry about being whisked away by a government as in other countries. We all understand freedom but some of us stand up for it and unfortunately the clich/ is true, “freedom is not free.” Those who gave, as Lincoln said, were their last full measure of devotion. They were not the bigger than life heroes seen in the movies or on television but our sons and daughters from small and large communities.
There are so many I would like to thank personally, to shake your hand, to hug you for your kindness. You will all be remembered and have a special place in our hearts forever. I vividly remember when Pastor Tommy Simpson asked each of those who filled the main Post Chapel to stand — except the family — and had each of you salute Case. This letter is to let every one of you who honored Case know that we, the family, salute you!
With our deepest gratitude,
Casey E. Mellen and the Mellen family,
Maria Mena and Katherine Houston
Huachuca City
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Let us BUMP this thread off and on throughout the day.
Nancee
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Sure, but it's hard to read with tears in your eyes.
Thank you for posting this. Prayers for brave Casey and his brave family.
Today I saw the different veterans groups standing on a hillside outside of the Castillo (a Spanish fort in St. Augustine, FL) and somebody was playing Taps. It definitely made you think. I drove by later and noticed that the Marines - who had set up a recruiting tent on the grounds of the fort - seemed to have collected quite a crowd of young men and women. It's good to know that we as a country still have these brave people among us.
Nancee
AMEN!! Where would we ever be without them all?
Nancee
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In Lincoln's words: "For laying so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom" This American thanks you, God Bless.
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