For My Guardian Angle Harold E. Reid

I have three brothers that are all active duty, two in Force Recon in the U.S. Marines and one is an M.P. in the U.S. Navy. When the middle brother joined up he graduated from high school and boot camp the same day. While he was at SOI he saw a soldier with a red bracelet and asked what it was, after finding out where and how to get one he made a special request for one of his own. He requested one with the name of an enlisted Marine from the state of Utah as that is what he was and that is where we are from. Little did I know that he had ordered the bracelet for me to help me get through a rough time in my life. I was pregnant with my second child and going through a rough divorce, this would have been around the end of 1993. He received the bracelet and saved it to send to me as a mothers day gift from both of my children. I put that Memorial Bracelet on and from that point it left my wrist maybe five times until 1999.

On March 27, 1999 I was at my mothers with my family and I happened to notice the news paper sitting by the fire place, the caption said "Vietnam Soldier's Remains Are Coming Home" and there was a 5X7 picture of a man holding a photo of a soldier by it. I remember grabbing the paper and feeling like I was in a roller coaster, I was crying and yelling for everyone to come look. They were bringing my guardian angle home, you see I have referred to Harold E. Reid as my guardian angle and do so to this day because nothing really bad has happened to me since he came in to my life as a gift. 

Harold left for Vietnam right out of high school and boot camp, he was killed in September 1967 in South Vietnam. He had left his troop to look for something when they were ambushed, left to die in a field with a couple of other young men by the Vietnamese gorillas who attacked the village. He was buried by several of the villagers after the American troops had left due to the fire fight. It was learned that the villagers later moved him to a different spot where he rested until 1993 when after years and years hard work and determination that all our troops come home the military investigators and the elders in the village with the help of the Vietnamese government were able to find the spot where he had been moved to and were able to recover the remains. 

I read the article and found that his mother was still living, I called information and got her phone number to let her know how happy for her that I was. We spoke for a while and I explained about my bracelet she told me that she would like to meet me if I were able to make it to the services. On a freezing April 4, 1999 I joined a couple hundred people in a little cemetery to lay to rest a man who had gone missing before I was even born. He is never far from my mind and always in my hart as are those who have yet to be brought home. 

I ordered the replacement Memorial Bracelet in honor of him and thank you for the chance to share my story with you.

Tina