Skip to main content

Still missing...


This one goes out to all the men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives, peace of mind, and whatever else is asked of them to maintain our way of life.

Walking up to the state capitol today, I could tell it was going to be different from the other times I attended the reading of the names to remember the men from North Carolina still unaccounted for from the war in Southeast Asia (better known to us as the Vietnam War).  A crowd of veterans was gathering on the lawn of the capitol as the area around the Vietnam War Memorial was prepared. Flags for the US, NC, NCVVI, and each of the military branches were placed in the ground. The sound system put in place. And the missing man table set for another month of remembrance. The lawn was abuzz with men and women sporting the patches of Rolling Thunder, American Legion Riders, and Combat Veterans.  All here to remember the 41 from North Carolina who have yet to come home.

The past few months I have attended, spectators stood in a line on the side. Everyone had a front row view. Today, I found myself in the middle of a crowd. My daughter on one side, a Vietnam Vet on the other, and veterans of Operation Freedom in front of me. I pledge the flag Monday through Friday. Always in the back of my mind are the men and women who are willing to fight for our freedom. I am proud that my son and so many that I call friend are among that group. Today, as my hand rested over my heart and those around me saluted, I had difficulty getting the words out past the lump in my throat as the magnitude of their sacrifice was evident.

41 men. Fathers. Brothers. Friends. Uncles. Sons. 41 from North Carolina who never returned home. (The Department of Defense reports that there are over 83,000 men and women still missing from all of our wars.) The reading of the names keeps their memory alive. After the reading of the names, the missing man table is presented. Forever in my memory will be the sight of the veteran saluting the empty table of his missing comrades before explaining the meaning of the items.

Today, the United States has one of its own being held as a prisoner of war. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been in captivity since 2009. As far as we know, he is still alive. We need to speak up. Not only for Sgt. Bergdahl, but for all the men and women who have yet to return home. Whether they went off to war because they were drafted or whether it was their choice, as a country we asked them to put their lives on the line to defend our way of living. We have a responsibility to them.

The men of North Carolina yet to return home:

Avery, Robert  - USMC
Belknap, Harry – USN
Borden, Murrau – USAF
Brice, Eric – USN
Brown, Edward – USN
Canup, Franklin – USN
Clarke, Fred – USAF
Cook, Glenn – USAF
Craven, Andrew – USA
Crews, John – USAF
Cristman, Frederick – USA
Curlee, Robert – USA
Davis, Edgar – USAF
Gatwood, Robin – USAF
Gore, Paul – USN
Gravitte, Connie – USAF
Hall, Fredrick – USAF
Hargrove, Joseph – USMC
Harris, Harold – USA
Howard, Luther – USA
Howell, Carter – USAF
Huie, Litchfield – USN
Jamerson, Larry – USA
Johnson, William – USA
Lewis, Charlie – USA
Lewis, Larry – USN
Luttrell, James – USA
McDaniel, John – USAF
Moore, Jerry – USA
Morgan, Edwin – USAF
Morrow, Larry – USA
Omelia, Dennis – USA
Palmgren, Edwin – USAF
Price, Bunyan – USA
Staton, Robert – USA
Sutton, William – USAF
Watson, Jimmy – USA
Weaks, Melvin – USA
Wellons, Phillip – USAF
Wilson, Wayne – USMC
Wood, Walter - USN

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aging sucks.....or does it?

Upon first thought, watching a parent age sucks. Unnoticeable at first. A bit of a stoop, some creaking in the knees, whitening of the hair. The doctor’s visits begin, as do the pills One for high blood pressure, another to thin the blood, and a handful of vitamins to top it off. The signs are there, but it is easier to see him as he has always been. My father, a pillar of strength. Until my pillar was knocked off-kilter. A simple surgery and the mortality of my father looked me square in the eye when the drugs took hold of his brain. Amidst his fidgeting and confusion, I realized…AGING SUCKS! And then….enlightenment dawned upon me….AGING IS BEAUTIFUL Wrinkles tell of smiles while silver hair speaks a life of memories. Knees creaky after years of kneeling in prayer, offering up a lap, and climbing up the stairs for one more kiss goodnight. Almost forty-eight years of memories nestled in my heart. Memories of my father. Taking us to church each Sunday Building and fixing ...
2 comments
Read more

The Challenge of Five

Living alone is easy. Add one more person to the equation and it becomes a bit more challenging – especially when that person is a 13 year old. But in time, we figured it out. Somewhere in there, Beatrice joined us. With Thanksgiving came the joy of the five of us together for the week. And then reality set in as Tony and Sana began their trek back to New Hampshire. Our household of two was now a household of three as Sean made himself a home with us.   For the first five years of Sean’s life it was just he and I. How difficult could it be to have my 22-year-old son living with me again? A mother couldn’t ask for a better son. He is loving, kind, intelligent, and hard-working. He has grown into a fine young man who has lived on his own for the past three years. He has his own way of doing things.   I have my way of doing things. Needless to say, the two clash a bit. I tend to go with the flow and do things (supper, adventures, etc) as the mood strikes. He likes to plan eve...
2 comments
Read more

I Got the Call!

I began the day a bit down in the dumps. (As is very evident from the earlier blog entry of the day.) I was missing my family. Wondering about the risk we took. Uncertain how it would all work out. My brother, Jamie, insisted that Patti and I join his family for a Braves game. He bought us $1 tickets and told us to get to Turner Field. The great thing about Atlanta Braves games on a hot Sunday afternoon is that the turn-out is not very good. We followed Jamie toward his seats on the third base line and sat in a couple of empty ones about 20 rows back. By the end of the game, I was in the first row! Apparently it was too hot for many of the fans. The Braves trounced the Dodgers, 13-1. (Newly added to my bucket list: get to as many of the major league baseball parks as possible. I have been to three this summer alone!) Upon returning ‘home’ I decided to check out the possibility of more jobs. Curiosity led me to Manchester’s website. (Manchester is about 30 minutes away from whe...
3 comments
Read more