Flags for Forgotten Heroes
I attended a ceremony this weekend in my tiny little town’s tiny little Veteran park, in our tiny little downtown across from our tiny little train station. It was a flag ceremony for those soldiers lost to suicide. For as long as I’ve been alive and long before this town and those surrounding it have been military towns. There was an active base that uses land from three of the surrounding little towns plus mine to even exist and they still actively train reserves there, even though they shut down the rest of the active part of the base in the 90s. My best friend in the entire world is an army brat that came to that base for just a couple years. The only time in our almost 30 year (so far) friendship we lived in the same state, let alone same towns. My grandfather, Mary’s dad lost his leg in WWII. My dad was also a Vet and a firefighter. And he carried god knows how many invisible wounds in life from his service to both, but also the invisible one that killed him in the end. Mesothelioma from his service on the USS Forrestal. For me this ceremony brought together everything I feel like I write about and have written about for years. Military, first responders, PTSD, grieving mothers, stigma, mental health challenges, addiction, suicide, loss, grief, hidden wounds, the power of love and loss used for good. How those affected by tragedy do for others. The fact that we have to beg for some lives to be recognized because of how they died. Carrying bears around in remembrance of others. Every single thing. Kids seeming to understand things better than adults. The people who actually show up. They did a motorcycle ride through town. The FD had the trucks out. The guys on duty brought the ambulance down and stood in the shadows, as did I, as did most people, on the edges. Allowing the people who organized this space to say their words and not invading that because, well for me, because it’s sacred, because it’s not about me. I went with my mom because I know my dad would’ve went, because I know people who have been affected by suicide, because I myself have taken calls from people I know and people I don’t know in this tiny little town who have just found their loved one who had taken their life, or they are worried someone might be about to do so. The boy buried next to my dad and my daughter took his own life. He was a teenager. So I let a couple days go by and I asked the local guy that was involved if I could share his organization on my page. And he sent me the links. So here they are. And I will also add them to the other resources page 💜🦋💜
https://www.operationcamp.org/?fbclid=IwAR3CMExPY-nOybkNLOfT2__74CX6hrSAPeJ6hev8WvvGbRARu-smy8aBGks
http://friendsneverforget.org/?fbclid=IwAR1H6mIou7wlyP6O9MOUeETu-nxo7zCXnv1M8CGMPgWTdy6DsdzW1Zb0lsw
https://www.facebook.com/Til-Valhalla-project-truck-101290025251385/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1737840016495561/?ref=share