I attended a Vietnam War vigil Saturday sponsored by No Vet Left Behind, Inc., a non-profit organization based in our hometown of Ansonia, Ct.Founders George and Mary Porter of Derby, Ct. have made it their life's work to do what they can to assist needy veterans.
The vigil was part of the non-profit organization's Memorial Day weekend celebration, which included a six-mile "Warrior Spirit/Ruck March."
I wrote a story about the event, which you can read here. I took several photos, and the one above was published with the story.
Below you see the solemn ceremony held when the first "POW," portrayed by a Vietnam veteran, was replaced by a second "POW," who also served in Vietnam.
They sat blindfolded, on the ground in a replica of a bamboo cage for an hour, in memory of POWs from Connecticut.
When the second man started his hour-long term, participants joined hands and formed a circle around the cage. They swayed back and forth as Billy Joel's 1982 song, "Good Night Saigon" played.
3 comments:
Unfortunately, the times we live in with all of its technology have allowed us to become desensitized to all of the horrors that exist in our world. We are so accustomed to seeing 'POW', 'MIA', 'KIA' and so many other acronyms that we forget that these were people; father, son, brother, husband (and their female counterparts) of somebody who lost their loved one so that we can enjoy our freedom.
I can believe that this exhibition stirred emotion, as it should.
I really couldn't say it better than Barb so I won't even try.
I just wish that more people would remember and act accordingly. There IS so much more to this past weekend than most people will ever realize.
Memorial Day is a great day to remember those who've fought for freedom. I read somewhere that the holiday started in 1868 to remember the fallen during the Civil War. This holiday has been celebrated for a long, long time!
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