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June 05, 2004
Memorial Day by a Marine Corps Mom
Janise, another Marine Corps Mom, attended the Memorial Day service at Willamette National Cemetary last week. Here are her thoughts.
I began this Memorial Day by putting the finishing touches on cleaning my "Veteran's" apartment. Then I headed to the cemetary for a Memorial Day Service. I have been to the Willamette National Cemetary 3 times in the last year and I still have trouble getting there. I think most of my trouble comes from not paying attention to how I get there, mostly because I always find myself lost in thought about why I am going there. Today was not any different, I found myself thinking about my dad,a WWII Army veteran, my sons, my family and how very lucky I am. I was invited today by Debbie Bruns, Cedric's mom,to today's service. We decided to meet around 9 am. I had flowers for Cedric's grave. I parked where Debbie suggested and then walked and walked looking for Cedric's grave, #126 in section C or D near Mt Hood Dr. All around were little flags waving from the grassy grave sites of those military we were here to honor. As I walked I couldn't help but feel a little frustrated that there were so many graves that seemed to prevent me from finding Cedric's, It hit me as I read name after name how many tears must have fallen and still fall for these men and women. Willamette National Cemetary is one of 120 such in the United States, the rolling grassy hills are covered with memorials, flags, flowers and tears. Today was the 54th Annual Memorial Day Observance. I abandoned my search until after the ceremony, I needed help, I needed to find "my family". I found Peter, Debbie and Nick just before the ceremony began and we sat together. I met Lynn Bradach and Katie Bradach, Cpl Travis' Mom and Aunt for the first time. There were two Fly Overs by the Air National Guard 142nd Fighter Wing out of Eugene, Portland PD Bagpipers, keynote speaker, guest speaker, dignitaries, etc. As I sat and listened, I thought about my dad and wondered if he and others were looking down at us, the gathered mass, and what their thoughts and words might be. It was a very nice ceremony but I much more appreciated and enjoyed the company of the families I was there to honor. Seated on my left was Nick Bruns, Cedric's brother, whose arm I held and on my right was a lady I had never met. During the ceremony, when the bagpipers were playing Amazing Grace, she and I looked at one another, I took her hand and she held mine. After the song,she thanked me for being there and told me her husband was killed during the Korean War and her name was Judy. After the ceremony, we talked and I asked her what her husband's name and what branch of service he was in. She told me his name was Jack and he was US Army and also fought also during WWII. Judy told me he had gone into the service in 1944 when he was 16, just like my dad! I took this as a sign that my dad wanted me to know he was still watching out for me! After the ceremony, I got to visit with Bobbie Jones, Sgt Curtis Jones' wife, and his mom Claudia and Dad Jack. It was so very nice to talk with her. Bobbie is expecting their son Devon in October. We had a good laugh about some of Curtis' character traits. Sgt Curtis Jones was my son David's Sgt from the 6th ESB, 4th FSG. Of all of the deaths, perhaps his was the closest since he was one of David's mentors. When he was diagnosed with leukemia just before they shipped off to Iraq, David shared his sense of great sadness knowing he would not join all of them in the sandbox. He was unsure at the time if they would see each other again. Sgt Jones waited to get married until his unit returned, his wedding was a mere two weeks after they all got back last year from Irag. He wanted to celebrate the happiest day of his life with his "men". His death, like all of the others was sudden and unexpected.
Sgt. Curtis Jones died earlier this year from leukemia. Family of Sgt. Curtis Jones, 6th ESB. Wife Bobbi is due to have baby
Devon in October of this year. His mom is Claudia and his dad is Jack.
I also got to visit with Katie Bradach, Cpl Travis Bradach-Nall's aunt and his mom Lynn.We visited the graves of four USMarines, the first Marine that was killed was L Cpl Seth Jones who was killed in a helicopter crash in the year 2000. His mother Michelle was not there, but Debbie met her last year and puts flowers on his memorial all the time.
The next was LCpl Cedric Bruns. He was killed just before Mother's Day last year in Iraq.
Lance Cpl. Cedric Bruns, 22, of Vancouver, Wash., was a Prairie High School graduate who arrived in Kuwait in January 2003 for his first tour of duty overseas. Bruns was a combat engineer in a unit trained to do "anything from demolition to building," said Gunnery Sgt. Rick Nelson. LCpl Bruns died May 9, 2003 in Kuwait, when the pickup truck he was driving collided with a logistics support vehicle, similar to a flatbed truck.. Cedric's family: parents Peter and Debbie, brother Nick and Cousin Kelly with husband Mike and daughter Amanda.
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Cpl Travis Bradach-Nall was killed in July last year just as most of his unit was returning home to Portland.
Cpl. Travis J. Bradach-Nall, 21, of Portland, Ore., was remembered as a dedicated Marine who volunteered to stay in Iraq for an extra three months because there was more work to be done. Cpl. Bradach-Nall was killed during a mine-clearing operation July 2, 2003, near the south-central city of Karbala. Family of Cpl. Travis Bradach-Nall include mom Lynn (front left), Aunt Katie and family
The last memorial was that of Sgt Curtis Jones; he was a Persian Gulf War Veteran who died this past April of Leukemia.
All of the memorials need care, all of the families need support. I keep thinking about those men and women still serving, As Chaplain Horace Duke said, "I pray God will Bless America, bring them home safely, help us help those who need our support."
Posted by Deb at June 5, 2004 09:03 AM
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