Roswell Remembers

We went the "Roswell Remembers" Memorial Day celebration todayyesterday.  Most of the family went, and we met some of our fellow American Heritage Girls there.  

One of our friends got there very early and scored awesome seats for us, but we didn't end up sitting in them as lots of older folks, and probably Vets, were looking for seats, too.  So we let go most of the saved seats and stayed off to the side.  

Roswell does a beautiful memorial every year.  The music is good; there were Celtic pipes and drums in addition to the symphony orchestra.  There is a wreath-laying by a widow or a mother at the base of the memorial wall.  The main speaker is good and not too long-winded.  Everyone's favorite part is "From the Heart" where anyone can get up and share for 3 minutes.  It's usually vets who talk about their experiences or another hero.

There are lots of displays to see before and after the main event.  Lots of veterans organizations, the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.   I always find the display of traps set by the Viet Cong to be fascinating and chilling.  I can't imagine the courage that is needed to go out and fight, knowing the horrors that might be waiting!

One of the speakers told us about a soldier who was one of the first to land on the beach at Normandy, and managed to survive the war.  After coming home, and working until he was 65, he retired to putter around the house.  Getting tired of that, he got at job at age 67 at Walmart as a greeter.  He's 87 now, and couldn't be at the ceremony because he had to work!  We needed to go to Walmart, so we made a trip over there to shake his hand and give him a hug, but he wasn't there.  I like to think that they finally came to their senses and let an American hero have the day off---with pay!

God bless all the men and women, and their families, who work to defend our country!