THE WALL OF FACES

On this your angel day I want you to know that you are a blessing to a countless number of people past, present, and future. And through your selfless service and courageous deeds your efforts have and will have an influence on many generations. And with all the good you did and the ultimate sacrifice you paid you truly are OUR HERO and we thank God that you lived.

FREEDOM
by Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC

It is the soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us Freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us the Freedom to demonstrate

It is the soldier, who serves beneath the Flag,
Who salutes the Flag,

Whose coffin is draped by the Flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the Flag,

It is the soldier, not the politician,
Who has given his blood, his body, his life,
Who has given us these FREEDOMS!

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.

Mary Frye – 1932

From the book, "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young"
Ia Drang: The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
"Dedicated to the memory of these brave soldiers who gave their lives for their country and for the men who fought beside them in the Pleiku campaign in October and November 1965".
I shall never forget your extreme sacrifice that you have made for the "Land of the Free"! Thank You, and may God Bless You. The forever young!
VN 70-71

Ronnie was my uncle. I was 13 years old when he was killed. I remember the last day I saw him alive. He had come home to visit my grandmother before he went to Vietnam. He told my Father that he would not be coming home again. We think he died in the battle of the Ia Drang. He was declared missing for several months then the terrible news that he had lost his life. We buried him one year later in his hometown of Vinton, He returned home one last time.
I think of him often, what might his life been like had he been able to have survived. He was in Vietnam early in the war, the odds were not in his favor. As I grew older the war was ever present and never did I forget his sacrific.
He was full of life, but a soldier who was dedicated to the Army And to his country.
His legacy has been passed to my children and so it will be passed to their children.Ronnie, my Mother (your sister) misses you, and I miss you. Your niece, Deborah