Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Because Freedom is Never Free

While on active duty, the Freedom Flight with the POWs landed, I was able with the help of ground crew and medical staff, locate the exact bird the person whose name was on my bracelet was on. I was able to give him the bracelet with his name on it and explained exactly what the bracelet had meant to me and others who wore them. It was not long before everyone was wiping our eyes to remove the tears that had found their way to each of us that late afternoon.

Today, I still wear three bracelets, one for James Atlee Wheeler (17 April '65), another which list each name of those from Arizona on it and one for Michael Scott Spiker, (although his remains have been repatriated I wear it in honor of all who died in Desert Storm) I recently was able to give another one I wore of Capt. (Col now) earl Hopper Jr, who perished in '65, I was honored to know his father Col Earl Hopper Sr for several decades before his passing. I gave Earl jr's bracelet to his brothers who survived Jr after all these years and who was recently buried at the National Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ.

NEVER FORGET these brave men and women, ALWAYS REMEMBER WHY they are no with us today and that FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE, there is ALWAYS a price to be paid for it!

Aho...



Iam R.

2 comments:

Portia's Blog said...

Yes, I wear my bracelets because I want to support the fallen.Many people do not realize that we can "do something".

Portia's Blog said...

Visit....Memorialbracelets.com. Buy a bracelet to show your support for the fallen victims of 911 and others that have sacrificed for our country.