Sunday, July 15, 2012

A Hero's Welcome Home

only the hero will never see it. This past week Columbia lost 2 hero's. One young man died on US soil and we haven't heard what happened with him, but it doesn't change the fact that a young man is gone too soon.

The other, while I don't know him, I know his grandma and it is hitting home. Army SPC Sterling Wyatt was killed when his vehicle was struck by an IED in Afghanistan. His grandma is a loyal volunteer at my children's school. She was in my daughter's class almost daily last year. Sterling attended the same elementary school when he was that age. The teachers have been hit hard by this loss because of both Sterling and Grandma Barbara as we all know her. Doesn't matter that she isn't a grandma to any of those kids, that's what they all call her. 


The family lives in the neighborhood of the elementary school and the school wanted to make sure the family knew they were in our thoughts and prayers. On Friday as a rare rain fell 100's of volunteers placed over 1,000 small flags around the neighborhood. Sterling's parents flew to Dover, DE for the ceremony of the transfer of the body, and were supposed to return home on Saturday. When they return home they will see these flags placed throughout the route home and then when they reach their house they will see several large flags and yellow ribbons in the yard. I drove by Friday after I got off work and had tears in my eyes the entire way. Saturday I took the kids to see it and again was full of tears. Several of the area businesses donated flags and others greatly reduced the cost and there were even a few managers of stores who chipped in a few dollars when they found out what was going on. I'm pretty sure there isn't a flag to be bought in Columbia right now. I love the community we live in and how we band together when someone needs it. 


The family home full of flags.

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