By Ken Lass
It is a breezy, summer, weekday morning in Trussville. I find myself sitting on a black metal bench behind the new Fallen Warriors Memorial in Veterans Park. Sharon and I attended the dedication of this structure a few weeks ago, a stirring and beautiful event.
For some reason, I felt led to come back and revisit the site alone. No crowds, no politicians, no twenty-one gun salute, no patriotic music. Just me and fourteen rows of solemn concrete pillars, each one displaying a dog tag of an Alabamian killed in combat since 9-11. On the floor are 111 names of those who died outside of combat. Along the sides are five sculptured busts of fallen heroes. A pretty array of pink, orange, white and red impatiens invite you in.
It’s a unique design, created by Hoover Navy veteran Mark Davis. I walk through the names and the hometowns. All 67 Alabama counties are represented. Many of the soldiers were from small places. Newton, Theodore, New Market, Adger, Pittsview, Plantersville. Towns where everybody knows you. Where your loss deeply affects not only the family, but an entire community.
I come upon the name of Errol Millard of Birmingham. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on the fourth of July in 2013. He was eighteen years old. Just a kid. Travis Nelson of Atmore lost his life in battle in Afghanistan in 2011. He was nineteen. So much of life still ahead of them. All of them.
A silver flagpole with the American flag proudly flapping in the breeze is located in the exact middle of the memorial. The idea was to assure the shadow of the flag would pass over each column, each name, once a day. A symbolic way to emphasize they are not forgotten. The fourteen rows of pillars are lined up in eight vertical columns, symbolizing soldiers marching in formation.
Alone with my thoughts, I close my eyes and picture the pillars disappearing, replaced by the soldiers themselves, dressed in full uniform, weapons at the ready. I imagine men, women, some middle aged, some young, white and black, Asian and Hispanic. All standing stately in line at Veterans Park, watching, guarding, protecting.
I open my eyes. Two ladies are taking a walk, wearing air pods as they pass by on the sidewalk in front of the memorial. Then a woman jogging, a bottle of water in her right hand. A golf cart rolls by, driven by a man with three children passengers. They are all sipping fast food soft drinks through a straw. An elderly man sits on a nearby bench, resting. A forty-something woman rides by on a bike. Three teenagers come along, a boy and two girls. They are giggling playfully and loudly. The boy seems to be showing off as he takes one of the girls up on his back piggy-back style.
They all pass by, hardly glancing at the pillars. They are all strangers to me, and no doubt me to them. Yet we all have one thing in common. We’re all free. Free to take walks on a lazy summer morning. Free to give the kids a ride on a golf cart. Free to walk the dog along the burbling creek.
To the east you can hear the steady clatter of cars moving down highway eleven, carrying people free to come and go as they please. Beside them a train rumbles down the track, it’s shrill whistle piercing the morning air. It carries all manner of goods to support our free enterprise business system. Across Parkway Drive sits the Episcopal church. That seems appropriate, considering our freedom allows us to gather publicly and worship our God. Millions in other parts of the world are denied that privilege.
The names on these pillars gave their lives for those freedoms. Now, in my mind, I picture them still here, watching people go by, standing guard, ever ready to protect us from threats.
A little chill runs through me as I notice the back row contains seven pillars which have been left blank. Fifteen pedestals have no bust. I realize all too well what that means. Spaces are being saved for future warriors who will fall. The freedoms we enjoy every day will continue to carry a tragic cost.
The large turnout at the dedication on Memorial Day shows that Trussville warmly welcomes this new addition to our community. The troops represented on these pillars and bricks gave it all to watch over and protect us.
Now it’s our turn to watch over and protect their memory.