Small gesture honors veterans
Sunday, Angela Phillips and her daughter, Kyra, visited Kyra’s great-grandfather’s grave in the Enlow City Cemetery near the Jasper Riverwalk and noticed something was missing from nearby graves.
Kyra’s great-grandfather Leroy Young was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea. Angela and her daughter visit the site when they are in the area and also decorate it around holidays.
On Sunday, the U.S. flag on at his grave needed to be replaced but while they were in the cemetery, Kyra saw several other veterans’ headstones lacked flags. They happened to have several extra flags so Kyra decided to add some to honor them.
In total,tThe 12-year-old member of Girl Scout Troop 670 placed flags on nine veterans’ headstones.
“She knows what those veterans did for all of us and she wanted to do something small for them,” said Angela. “She’s got a big heart.”
Thankfully she wasn’t stopped or otherwise prevented from placing flags on the veteran’s graves, as many youth/groups have been this year by the federal government at our national cemeteries – previously a longstanding honor/tradition and which is hard to figure was stopped this year even with things as they are today – because of the virus. Outdoors, easy to stay apart and social-distance, plus to be supervised by adults, but no – still prohibited by such inane, common-senseless decisions. As for this local effort by Kyra, bless her and her mother, Angela, for getting out, living, and paying respects.
I was that which others did not want to be.
I went where other feared to go, and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing from those who gave nothing, and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness… Should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror, felt the stinging cold of fear, and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped… But most of all, I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.
I however, will always be able to say that I was proud of what I was…
A Soldier!
Author: George L. Skypeck
SFC Thomas P. McBeth
United States Army Retired
Disabled American Veteran
Amen! Ima Ruth Green Amen!
SFC Thomas P. McBeth
United States Army Retired
Disable Hoosier/American Veteran
Thank you and God bless!
AWCS Jeff Leonhard
United States Navy Retired