Happy Fourth of July! I realize today is a celebration day, and not necessarily like Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day, but I just love this story my Mom wrote about my Grandfather! Enjoy!
The sky is clear blue, the sun is bright, and a cool breeze gently lifts the leaves on the trees lining main street. It is a perfect day for the parade. Planes fly by in the “Missing Man”Formation leaving their white trails behind . On his porch the old man waits. He wasn’t able to participate in the parade this year. His spirit is with the men and women who still can walk that route proudly wearing their uniforms. He is hoping that they remind everyone of what this day means for them, for him, and for the millions of others who have paid a price for their freedom.
He can hear the faint sound of the band playing the “Star Spangled Banner”. He sits straighter as a swell of pride rises within him. He prepares to stand in honor of “Old Glory”and all those people left behind in the battlefields around the world. They come closer and he starts to rise painfully to his feet.He believes that a few moments of pain is a small price to pay to honor those brave soldiers, and their families, past and present.
His son, daughter-in-law, and his granddaughter join him, standing with pride next to their brave hero. They have seen the price he has paid, physically and emotionally. They’ve watched those wounds take their toll year after year. He has taught them an unforgettable lesson. They will never take freedom lightly. They will always hold it as a fragile precious gift given at a huge price.
For them Memorial Day is not merely a day of barbecues, picnics and parades. It will always be a day of remembrances to be passed down from generation to generation.
(Written By Bonnie Follweiler in honor of our Memorial Day Hero lovingly known as the “Good Old Boy”. He has passed away since then so, until we see him again, he is our “Missing Man”. We are the proud family of Quincy Follweiler Sr.)
-Jamie
No Delusions of Grandeur 