Humbling experience

[jnevis]

Let no one say that St Marys County Maryland doesnt support our troops.  Today I was priveleged to witness the best our county has to offer for a fallen soldier.  SGT Ryan Baumann was killed by an IED 1 Aug in Afghanistan.  Today his body was interned in Arlington Cemetary.  The county was out in force from one end to the other.  Our Rescue Squad organized a display at the county line from each Fire and EMS company with units from the base and Sheriff and State Police.  We SHUT DOWN the Capitol Beltway for the procession to pass.  The Interment was one of at least three today as we arrived near the end of one for a Marine and left as one for another Army soldier was readying.  The following are a couple of the pictures I took from the ambulance we used to escort the procession to Arlington.
 

 

[m25operator]

THANK YOU!!! jnevis, nice of you to take the time and take the pics and then share them. Looks like good people in your town as well! Thank you again for sharing.

[twyacht]

God Bless What's Decent About America! Regardless of what state, county, color, personal beliefs, or political party, HONOR THE FALLEN!

I hope the family of SGT. Ryan Baumann can find peace and God's blessing knowing he is a brave hero who died for this country and what he believed in.

He came home to the sacred ground of Arlington, and is in good company.

Thank you for the photos.

[Hazcat]

Fallen Hero
© By Danny M. Underwood

I stare at the casket;
Draped with the nation's cloth.

I'm momentarily startled;
As the guns go off.

Another fallen soldier;
Being laid to rest.

I struggle to breathe;
For this tightness in my chest.

The bugler so smooth;
As he hits every note.

It is hard to swallow;
Because of this lump in my throat.

Tears fall like rain;
As I look to the sky.

No matter how many times I hear it;
Taps still makes me cry.

The bugle now silent;
As we pray for the dead.

I gather myself;
As I bow down my head.

Lord bless these heroes;
Who have given their lives.

Comfort their children;
Their husbands and wives.

Let us not forget;
They have given their all.

Let the bugle be silent;
Let no more soldiers fall.

[Hazcat]

When 1st Lt. Aaron Seesan died in combat on May 22, 2005, in Iraq, his parents did not know he had written a prescient poem, “Eulogy of the Common Soldier,” as a high-school senior six years earlier.


EULOGY OF THE COMMON SOLDIER

All mortal beings, which God brought forth, die the same

Man is not exempt

All will inevitably end as the dust from whence we came

It matters not of age

Do not mourn me if I should fall in a foreign land

Think this of my passing

In a far-off field a finer soil mixed with the foreign sand

A dust that is American

A dust that laughed, cried, and loved as an American

On this plot there shall be

A little piece of America, a patch for the free man

Which no oppressor can take

From this soil grows grass shimmering a little greener

Brilliant emerald ramparts

A Breeze whisping White Poppies with scent a little sweeter

Flowers towards heaven

Mourn not my terrible death but celebrate my cause in life

Viewed noble or not

I would have sacrificed and gave all that I had to give

Not to make man good

But only to let the good man live.


— Aaron Seesan

[Sponsor]

[shooter32]

Thanks jnevis !!! great pics..

Haz +10

[Frosty]

Thanks for sharing the pics. It does show that Americans still care about our Nations Hero's that gave all for us. Thanks!

[mosbear]

The Run for the Fallen.... AUG 24,..ENDS at Arlington's section 60.
 
Beginning Flag Day, June 14, 2008, a dedicated team of runners will run across America from Fort Irwin, CA to Arlington National Cemetery, one mile for every soldier, sailor, airmen, and marine killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. For ten weeks, team members will mark each mile with an American flag and signcard in an apolitical reflection of remembrance of each service member.

Click on the links below for further information and videos.
 
http://www.runforthefallen.org/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEWksES8Bpc

http://runforthefallen.org/map.html

[atmiller]

My nephew is in the Honor Guard at Arlington.  The photos he sends are awe-inspiring.  I need to get up there sometime to pay my respects to our fallen heroes. 

[twyacht]

The photos he sends are awe-inspiring.

If you can, post them.

IMHO, they should be seen by more Americans, more often.