Better late than never

I meant to post this on the 11th but the tooth trauma took my mind away.

Last August as we were driving home from our Colorado trip we stopped for the night in Yakima Washington. Yakima was really hot that day(30-35 degrees). We were staying in the worst hotel ever(blame my parents for that one!) To escape the horrible lodging we went into downtown to eat at the Olive Garden. Of course there was a bit of a wait so we walked to the neighboring park. From the park I could see this.

It is a memorial to The War on Terrorism. Yakima is surrounded by dessert and from what we could see lots of training grounds that are used by the army.

I decided to walk over and get a closer look. The sky was clouding over, the sky got dark around us and a bit of a rain shower started - it was still hot hot hot out so we stood in the rain. The wind picked up as I approached the memorial. Once I got there, I read the names of what I presume are local soldiers that have died. That got me a little as there weren't a lot of names. Just a few, so I could read them.

Then the wind picked up and I heard the tinkling. I tried to figure out what the sound was. Then I saw the glint of sliver. Each soldiers dog tags were hung underneath the helmet. As the wind blew hot air around us and the storm scattered rain I cried. Knowing that those dog tags had belonged to someone. They had hug around someone's neck as they had lived and died.

I know it seems a little belated that it only connected for me when I saw the dog tags. Yet I live in a town with little to no soldiers from this generation. I know no one who is actually serving in any capacity. I realize people die in war but I never had a personal connection to any of them. I have never had a friend lose a husband/wife, son, or daughter through war. That night while waiting for dinner it became personal. I cried.