A Teary-Eyed, Proud Moment!
Last Saturday afternoon I had an experience that I'll never forget! On July 17th, 23-year-old Sgt. Nathan S. Barnes of the 4th Battalion 31st Infantry Regiment in the Army was killed in Iraq. He was from American Fork, Utah--a town very close to where I live. Our whole community has grieved his passing and wanted to show our appreciation for the service rendered on behalf of our country and each one of us. His father is a big time Boy Scout fan. So--what seemed like an impossible task was pulled off. Last Saturday, Sgt. Barnes' funeral was in the tabernacle in American Fork. About a mile away is the cemetary. Over 1,000 Boy Scouts lined the mile-long street (on both sides) leading to the cemetary. Each held a flag and saluted the police officers, hearse, limosines carrying the family members and other family relatives while they drove to the cemetary. What an awesome sight to behold. One thousand boy scouts reverently paying respect to a fallen brother and hero. The wind was slightly blowing and the 1,000 flags were gently waving. I will never forget the feelings I had at this moment--feelings of love, admiration, respect and grief. Many of us then went to the graveside service where the boy scouts silently looked on--flags still raised in the air. The 21 gun salute and the sound of taps are still ringing in my ears.
May God bless our troops and may God bless Nathan's family at this difficult time. May their burdens be made lighter knowing their son was fighting for the cause of freedom.
Please join me tonight in saying a prayer for our troops.
With Gratitude,
Lisa B.
41 Comments:
Lisa,
What an awesome site and tribute. My heart goes out to this very extended family. As an Army wife myself, I know how important these acts of kindness are.
Thank you for sharing.
Susan M.
What a great way to show respect and love to the soldier and his family. I have a brother in Iraq and the troops are always in our prayers. Thanks for helping us remember to appreciate those who have served and continue to serve our country.
i can only imagine the sight it must have been....every night i pray for our troops and thier families and am so thankful to live in this country...
Wow! I cried reading this. What an awesome sight that must have been. I always get emotional when I see the flag. What an honor for all those young men to have a chance to participate in such a wonderful tribute. I am sure that meant a lot to the family. God bless our troops!
Hi Lisa
What an awesome way to honor our troops! I'm sure his family was speechless and very appreciative!
We had a similiar experience in our area, when President Ford passed away. It is amazing that these young scouts can be so respectful and reverent. I was so impressed watching not only my 8 yr old - but all the other scouts stand in salute, so still, so quiet!
God Bless our troops and all who serve our country and the families who love them!
Thanks Lisa!
Cindy
Amen, Lisa.
Very sad............to many are dying.I thank God every day for our freedoms,but it is so sad that they come at such a cost.My thoughts and prayers are with this family and all of the others who selflessly make such sacrifices for us all.
The boy scouts did a wonderful thing.I'm sure they made this family proud.
Barbara Parnell
lot of good thoughts.
PROLIX
{ThE fReNcH tOuCh}
http://prolix.typepad.fr
As a sister to not only an Eagle Scout, but also a major in the Army, I was especially moved by your community's display of gratitude. Thank you for sharing the pictures and descriptions with us.
What a moment that you and those kids will never forget. I attended my uncles funeral where they did the 21 gun solute and with every shot I felt a piece of my soul exit my body. The feeling and the beat of your heart with every shot is indescribable. It doesnt get any more patriotic than that. Tears came to my eyes when I read your story. That's one for the journal, and I hope that each of those scouts was able to write down what they felt. ~Rena
I remember after 9/11 our scouts put up the ward flags on both sides of the street in our little community. It was a very emotional site. I am sure that the family was touched by this gesture. Everyone of those Scouts will also be changed forever by this act.
I feel the same way everytime my oldest boy has to put on his dress blues for another funeral for a fallen commrade.
Lisa-what an amazingly beautiful tribute. As a mother to boy scouts, a cub scout leader and a sister to a soldier serrving in Iraq, I am overwhelmed with emotions. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful experience. Thanks for your testimony and wonderful examples of you and your family. Your one of my heros!!!!
May God grant his family peace and may this war end soon so no one else needlessly die.
what a beautiful tribute. I have goosebumps just reading it!
What a wonderful experience and must have given the family so much hope when they saw all the support and wo important for our youth to know that like it or not, America stands for freedom and that comes at a price. Words don't have to be spoken when our kids can be involved in an experience like this.
Hi Lisa,
I am unable to send you personal e-mails they come back now. But I was wondering about the albums
Celebrating you and Family Matters.
I was just at CK and took the All About Me Class and would love to get the rest of the set. Please e-mail me at mickey0828@yahoo.com
Thank you
Amie
amen, Lisa. amen.
I needed a good tear-jerker today. What an wonderful thing that must have been to see....a great honor for the scouts and the family. TFS!
I admit, I don't often become outwardly emotional from blogs, books, movies, or deia in general. I guess I was feeling the Spirit touching me as I read your blog because I immediately teared up.
I had the thought, "What if..." What if I was that young man's family, witnessing the outpouring of love, reverence, honor, and respect from these young scouts on a day when my heart would be full of grief and loss. What if my child was one of those Scouts? What if my child was the one in the hearse? I know there is a price to pay for peace, and I am so grateful for the young men and women who sacrifice so much (time, physical and mental health, and even their lives) to afford us that liberty that we sometimes take for granted.
Thank you for making me think a little more, and showing me a glimpse of the brotherly love that does still exist in this world.
What an awesome tribute. The picture was Collin? Did Kade also participate?
Thanks for the post...sometimes I think we all need a reminder that freedom is not FREE...there is a cost, and to some families it is huge. God bless our troops and to those families of the fallen who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
We had the same thing happen here in a small town in IL, and it was awesome/sad sight to see .....But proud that people who either agreed or disagreed about the war still came together to support the family of the boy...thanks for sharing
Yes, I will join you in prayer for our troops.
As it hits home for our family..........as my niece husband is in Iraq right now. We keep hoping and praying for him to get home safe in September. As he is on leave to come home to see the birth of his baby. It's their first baby. We hope He will be there to see the birth. It's such a special time I so hope he makes it home in time and all goes well. We pray for him daily.
Ps-they are having a baby BOY!
what a moving post....so many times i think i take our freedom and what people are doing for our country...thanks so much for the reminder...here is a quote i felt worthy to share:
....."Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American Soldier;
one died for your soul, the other for your freedom"........
WOW!
just when i thought your life was incredible...you have topped it! :) This must have been such a spiritual experience.
unfortunately where we live there are far too many funerals...they were going to try to just have one a month rather than have them every few days, but after much public outcry they have decided to hold 'group' ones for those that served together. :(
what a nice experience too for the boys who participated.
I'm so sad for the family of SGT Barnes. I will be praying for peace and comfort for them during this difficult time.
My husband was proud to serve in Iraq for 15 months. He and his unit built and repaired schools, roads, bridges and airways and gave out medical and school supplies while they were there, but you don't hear the media report the good we've done in Iraq. I'm not trying to use this blog as a soapbox but want to point out that soldiers like Nathan Barnes did not die in vain.
-a soldier's wife
Lisa-
Wow, what an amazing tribute to this soldier and his family. I'm so glad you shared this story. My dad was a scoutmaster, and you must have been incredibly proud to witness all those scouts.
The news often forgets to personalize the stories of our troops, and we need to keep them in our prayers and thoughts. Yes, my daughters have a prayer for the soldiers every night in their bedtime prayers.
Thank you for sharing.
We live very close to American Fork too. While I didn't see this in person, I read about it in the paper. I was so moved. I can only imagine the sight must have been truly breathtaking in person.
And thanks to Nathan Barnes for his sacrifice. God bless the troops!
It is sad, yet amazing, that it takes something like this to make us so humble and proud to be American citizens. What a lovely tribute and amazing site to see all those flags and young Scouts honoring Nathan and his family. Thank you for the story and the photos, they made my day.
Darla
What a heartfelt moment for that family and their friends! They'll always remember people really DO care about our servicemen and women fighting for our much taken for granted freedom, comfort and way of life in the U.S. Way to go scouts!!! I want my boys to be scouts too!!!
My husband is both a veteran and Boy Scout, I am also a veteran... that warms my heart to see this much support. Thank you.
Lisa
I live in Canada and my eyes had tears in them reading your words.
When our young boys and men come home the major highway is a long stretch from the base they arrive at to the location in Toronto where they are taken.
On each bridge our home town fire trucks, police and community members pay respect.
It truly also is an amazing site to see.
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
My heart aches for the families and I send my thoughts and prayers.
Lisa
wow.... amazing. Thank you for sharing this, Lisa.
Lisa, Thank you for sharing. What a great way to honor our fallen heroes. God Bless America and our soldiers that fight for our freedom.
What a beautiful tribute to our fallen hero!
Hi Lisa - This is such an incredible story - so moving! Thanks for sharing it with us. By the way - How is your Dad? I remember he was sick a few months back...
Love Brecken's pages. My daughter, 8, just started getting interested in doing some of her own pages. They are too cute- the journaling is always priceless. Your post is a great reminder to let our little ones scrapbook.
This is a reminder of the sacrifices many made. My son was in Iraq as well and he has returned in body but his spirit and cheerful personality has been replaced with melancholy mood swings and inability to sleep without nightmares. There are so many casualties in many different ways from this conflict.
Bless this family and may they find peace with God's love and knowing others are praying for them.
Bless this family and all the support from the community.
It made me cry.
This brought tears to my eyes. Why do we only hear about the bad things on the news. As far as I'm concerned, this should have been the top news on the Today Show. This is what America needs to see!! God bless every one of those boys for standing there and paying their respects to a fallen soldier. It was beautiful!
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