First Place 

Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News

When 2nd Lieutenant James Cathey‘s body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine’s casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: ‘See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what’s going through their minds, knowing that they’re on the plane that brought him home,’ he said ‘They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They’re going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.’

 

Second Place 

Todd Heisler The  Rocky  Mountain News

The night before the burial of her husband’s body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of ‘Cat,’ and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. ‘I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,’ she said. ‘I think that’s what he would have wanted’.

  

Blue Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the ‘silent majority’ We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for our country and home in record breaking numbers We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans simply want to recognize that the vast majority of  America supports our troops. Showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts now.

By word of mouth, press, TV — make the United States, on every Friday, a sea of blue, much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

The first thing a soldier says when asked ‘What can we do to make things better for you?’ is ..’We need your support and your prayers.’

 

 

A friend sent this to me in an email, and this is the way I choose to "share" a story.