what is cooler than a crowd of 15,000 talking and then our flag is presented. everyone went quiet and stood. hands over my heart and a tear down my cheek. awesome...
there was beautiful music by alex boye, jenny jordan frogley, george dyer, jenny oaks baker, kendra lowe, bagpipes and a beautiful orchestra.
steve young gave a patriotic talk on our wonderful country and the inspiring people who founded it and those who continue to make this country great today. he introduced a young man who is still on active duty with the air force (married 2 days ago!) and became blind when his group came under attack. steve young asked if he had regrets about serving now that he has his injury. "no, i have received so many blessings because of this and i wouldn't have met my wife of two days if i hadn't been through this experience". that was humbling...
the service men and women were honored multiple times and a quote from abraham lincoln was read. i fell in love with his words all over again...
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Abraham Lincoln... Thursday, November 19, 1863
the hardest part of the entire evening was when alex boye started talking about the hero's around us...he spoke of the two boys, Lance Cpl. Carlos Aragon and Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen who both graduated from mountain view high school. they both died in battle 3 days apart. then the song 'america the beautiful' was sung while they played a slide show of their lives. tears immediately came to my eyes... i had no tissue. the last two pictures were the boys graves. there wasn't a dry eye. their mom's were honored and given a flag... that.was.hard.
it was the best time spent...i love this country, my freedoms and the men and women who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for me today.
-ash
3 comments:
Thank you for reminding me what the 4th of July is all about. You amze.
Thank you Ashlee for bringing into focus the foundation of our country's beginning. I thank the servicemen/women who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice so we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today. I too would have been crying with you. We are so blessed as a nation,blessed by God... "One Nation under God."
I am crying just reading your words. I love our country and pray that we will all be good guardians over it. These are worrisome times, but God is in charge. Time for us to stand up and take a stand. I love you my stars and stripes daughter :)
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