-
Ann Van Hine
a book bubble about
Pieces Falling
Biographies & Memoirs
Author Insight
Memorial Day
Memorial Day weekend 2018 I had the privilege of attending my friend’s aunt’s funeral in Arlington National Cemetery. “Aunt Jeanette” aka “The Colonial." For me any visit to Arlington National Cemetery is overwhelming. The sheer number of graves is staggering. To ponder how men and women have served our country through the centuries is awe-inspiring. To be there on Memorial Day weekend and see a small American flag by each tombstone was sobering. The funeral began with a Catholic Mass in the Old Post Chapel, a beautiful small white steepled church with impressive stained-glass windows. It continued as we drove slowly behind horse-drawn wagon carrying a flag-draped casket to the grave site as an army band kept time. The chaplain now in his military uniform with a chest full of medals instead of his priestly garb offered further words of comfort. Rifles fired in a twenty-one-gun salute, an American flag was expertly folded and handed to my friend “on the behalf of a grateful nation” and then a lone bugler played taps. There were centuries of tradition, respect and remembrance in every aspect of the ceremony. The FDNY has a history of tradition that has brought me comfort through the years. Like the US Military it is something you can count on.
Book Excerpt
Pieces Falling
The FDNY hosted a service at St Patrick’s Cathedral on the tenth anniversary—as they had done on the fifth anniversary. I had attended those events because they felt more manageable to me, even though many people attended.
The services are usually a day or two before September 11. Not being on the actual anniversary is a plus. And to me, the traditions of the FDNY add a safety net. I know what to expect—the sight of hundreds of firefighters from across the nation and around the world parading up Fifth Avenue, the beat of the drums and the bagpipers playing “Amazing Grace.”
In one sense the sight of firefighters carrying 343 American flags—one for each firefighter killed on 9/11—rips my heart out. However, it also fills me with pride because one of those flags is for my husband, my firefighter.
It is sad and inspiring at the same time. These services are conducted once every five years.
Once every five years I can do.
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.