Today my heart broke...again

Today I went to visit the Vietnam Traveling Wall.It is something I have wanted to see for a long time. When I was little girl my family lived just down the road from Fort Sam Houston Army Base in San Antonio, Texas. My dad had stayed in the hospital on base when he had heart problems. After he was released he began inviting some of the men who were serving in the Army to our home. They would visit on holidays, dinner or just to hang out. They were so young.
There were three young Green Berets that we became very close to. They were like our big brothers. We would visit them on base or go watch them practice jumping out of planes. In my eyes they were bigger than life. I was particularly close to Gary. I even took him to show and tell!


One day they came to our home and I remember they looked sad. They were leaving to go and fight in the war in Vietnam. We never saw them again. We did get a couple of letters but I have no idea what happened to them. Did they make it back? Did they die? I will never know. As I walked up to the wall and saw the thousands of names my heart broke. Is one or all of their names carved on this wall? So many names. So many lives lost.


What was pretty amazing is that when I pulled up to where the wall was I saw all of these people walking out of the school. It was a naturalization ceremony. These people, young and old were walking out with their flags, citizenship papers and these big smiles. It was a sight to behold! Trust me, our newest citizens have to know more about our country than we will ever know! They do not take our freedom for granted. As I walked past all the smiling faces and I came to the wall, I didn't expect to feel so many emotions. It was reminder of all the lives that have been lost in the name of freedom.

America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. Today I had the privilege of seeing people who came to America to be free and the names of men who had died for that right.


Greater love has no one than this, that he who lays down his life for his friends. John 25:13