Children were quieted, older veterans that had been
sitting stood and removed their hats, and the lump
in my throat grew to a tennis ball. Two ambulances
pulled into a formation at the turn, and we all
silenced as we looked down the highway. Whispers –
“There he is,” and “He’s home.”
The only sound was of the flags waving in a
slight warm breeze and the motorcycle engines of
the Patriot Guard Riders, a beautiful group of men
and women who make it their duty to escort the
fallen. They passed us – policemen, first responders,
the family, the motorcycles, and Dustin in a shiny
silver hearse. I barely caught a glimpse of the flag
of our country adorning his casket because my eyes
were too full, and my heart had fallen to my feet.
There he is. God bless you. Thank you so much. I
am so very sorry.
I drove by the funeral home afterwards naively
thinking that I could run in and pay my respects to
the family, but the crowd had already grown so much
that it was difficult to even maneuver the block.
Reporters stood outside in front of cameras, filing
their stories, and a mass of people were descending
upon the parking lot. I made it out of the crowd and
drove around for a good 30 minutes, crying it all out.
It is not possible for me to put into words the range
of emotions that I had – my heart hurt, but yet my
pride in that Green Beret and in the coming together
of our community was just totally overwhelming.
It was horrible, and it was beautiful, and it was
powerful.
I did not know you, Dustin Wright, but you
are etched into my soul and are now a part of the
8mm film of my life. You will always and forever be
why I stand with hand over heart while I sing the
National Anthem and gaze at our flag. I look forward
to hugging you big and long when I, too, cross
that Great Divide. God bless you, your family and
friends, and God bless America. TCM
P.S. If your heart can stand it, I urge you to watch
the film “Taking Chance,” a true story of Marine
Chance Phelps and his escort home.
Hometown Living At Its Best 63
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAMILY
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