We Will Never Forget

This is the start of Memorial Day Weekend here in the USA. My father was in the Navy in WWII, a gunner.  My step-father served proudly in the Air Force for 27 years, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. Both were amazing men.

This past week, "The Eyes of Freedom - Lima Company Memorial" visited our hometown, Davenport, IA. In a nutshell, it honors the twenty-two Marines and Navy Corpsman of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, who perished while serving their country in Iraq between May and August of 2005. My husband and I went to see the exhibit. It was a very moving experience.

The semi truck that carries the exhibit around the country is painted with the portraits of the men who died.

The exhibit consists of life size portraits painted by Anita Miller, and Ohio artist. The portraits are so life-like, the eyes look right at you. There's also a video that tells the story of Lima Company and how the exhibit came to be. The Marine flag was on display as we walked in and each visitor was asked to sign the flag. We had a difficult time finding a free spot - there had to be thousands of names! Isn't that wonderful? The flag was left with the community as a "Thank you" for bringing the exhibit to our area.

The portraits - I swear, each and every one looked like they could start talking at any moment. The tribute of the boots, helmets and lighted candles by each man was very emotional for both of us, though we didn't know any of these fine young men personally.

It reminded me of when we visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. years ago. There were people everywhere, but you could have heard a pin drop.

If you have a minute, please visit the Eyes of Freedom website here. You won't regret it.

"There is no greater love than this: than one lay down his life for his friends."