Here are some pics from the parade down Congress Avenue:
This is Mr. Richter, a Vietnam Veteran, who marches in the parade every year. He is the father of Scott Richter, one of Byron's best friends in high school and a fellow brother Marine. He is out of the Marines now, but he wore his dress blues one last time when he carried the flag-draped casket of his friend, Byron. He has stuck by us and really taken care of our family in the last few years. Byron would be so proud of him. Scott is truely part of our family.
Our favorite motorcycle gang, the Patriot Guard Riders! They show the most amazing display of patriotism at the funerals of Fallen Heroes and at events like this.
After the parade, we headed back up to Pflugerville for the Veterans Day ceremony at the Fallen Warrior Memorial in the park. This memorial was created in 2005 and inspired by Byron's sacrifice. It has the name of every Fallen Hero from Pflugerville since WWI. Byron was the 1st since Vietnam, but now there are 3 more names after his. The latest name was unvieled today during the ceremony. PFC Ron Joshua, Jr was KIA in July of 2007 and becomes the 4th Fallen Hero from Pflugerville to die in Iraq. The ceremony was really great and very moving. I hope that we can continue to have these Veterans Day ceremonies every year, but without having to add any more names to the wall. Here are some pics that David took and also some news clips about the ceremony:
I read a poem written by my mother. Halfway through the poem, a HUGE butterfly began to fly all around in front of me. It finally rested on a bush a few feet away from the podium and waited for me to finish, then flew away. I couldn't help but smile through the tears. Butterflies have always reminded me of Byron. I seem to see them so much more now than I did "before."
Earlier in the year, my mom bought a bell and asked David to make a bell stand for it so that it could be used in ceremonies. David felt so honored and spent hours with the help of his expert grandfather hand-crafting the wooden bell stand. He wanted it to be something worthy of Byron. I think it turned out really beautifully and it will be something passed down through the generations of our family. We need to keep a little journal to record each time the bell was rung for a Fallen Hero or Veteran. This was the first time the bell was rung during a ceremony.
This is a picture of me and my parents with some Veteran Marines and their families who have become our friends. The Vet on the far left is Jason Denny, a Marine who knew Byron when he was stationed with the reserve unit here in Austin. He is an Iraq war veteran, and is also a Gold Star family member. His cousin, Army Captain Rowdy Inman, was KIA in December 2007. I hope we'll get to spend more time with him and his wife, Stephanie.
Earlier in the year, my mom bought a bell and asked David to make a bell stand for it so that it could be used in ceremonies. David felt so honored and spent hours with the help of his expert grandfather hand-crafting the wooden bell stand. He wanted it to be something worthy of Byron. I think it turned out really beautifully and it will be something passed down through the generations of our family. We need to keep a little journal to record each time the bell was rung for a Fallen Hero or Veteran. This was the first time the bell was rung during a ceremony.
This is a picture of me and my parents with some Veteran Marines and their families who have become our friends. The Vet on the far left is Jason Denny, a Marine who knew Byron when he was stationed with the reserve unit here in Austin. He is an Iraq war veteran, and is also a Gold Star family member. His cousin, Army Captain Rowdy Inman, was KIA in December 2007. I hope we'll get to spend more time with him and his wife, Stephanie.
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