THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. We were born on the same day/year. You died at 19 years of age. I am now 74 and have lived a long and fulfilling life. It is tragic you never had that same opportunity. May you rest in eternal peace.

Never forgotten.

HOOAH

Dear PFC Thomas Saltmarsh, Thank you for your service as a Supplyman. The 54th anniversary of the start of your tour is soon. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Veterans’ Day just passed. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance, and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
Both born on 2/19/1949 you, too, would be 72 now.....

Remembering Tommy at the local ski jump so many years ago. Pushing off from the gate for all he was worth he kept his tuck as he built up the speed he would need for that great leap into the void ahead. After the launch he maintained good form, flying down the hill with ski tips meeting his hands on outstretched arms. His controlled flight in a gentle arc was something to see. He greased into a perfect landing that time and his measured distance kept him in the running. Later that morning he had a mishap when he caught an edge going down the track. He tumbled off the end of the jump trestle and crash landed in a terrible sprawl. He was laughing when he got back up, a trickle of blood running down his face as he adjusted his bindings and pushed off for the bottom of the slope. That day I saw a young man with a brave heart and a lust for life. To me, a younger boy two school grades below Tommy he was someone to look up to and admire. I often thought of him over the years as an inspiration when I had difficult challenges to face. Hearing of his death came as a shock. Though taken so young his light has endured within those he touched.