In Their Honor

The funeral was over. All was quiet until: three shots, loud, startling, tear-inducing. And then the plaintive notes of the horn.

Since my Father’s committal service  at Fort Logan National Cemetery nearly 10 years ago, I have heard this tribute many times for family, friends, strangers.  First it is the unfolding, folding and presentation of the American flag, followed by those shots and the playing of taps, stamp the heart with lasting impressions.

I feel the pain of those shots in the stillness of my tensed body. I ache for my Dad, my grandfathers, my uncles, the men and women who have bravely marched off to the front lines for hundreds of years, defending their homeland. I feel the pain of parents whose sons and daughters have died serving their country. I cry for the wives and husbands and children whose hearts will always have holes.

It doesn’t take long for the shots of a military salute to ring out: mere seconds. Taps, played with the care of someone like my niece, Kristen, makes the soul ache. And in those final moments we are grateful and sad and angry. We can’t help but wonder, “How long, O Lord?” Are the heavens big enough to hold our tears?

Very special thanks to Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristen Gale of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band who played taps at the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the World War I Meuse-Argonne Offensive at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018.