Last year, the Memorial Day service at the Idaho Veterans Cemetery was cancelled. We were not certain if they would have it this year, though a few days before Memorial Day they announced they would do special events throughout the day. Kendall had went with the Nelson's to Camp Pinewood for cleanup weekend. She came back home Sunday evening and was glad she would be able to join us. We spent some time at Kevin's gravesite remembering him and sharing stories.
After that we walked up the hill to the overlook. They had put in a new statue honoring veterans that weekend. The statue is called “I will have your back always ...,”. I copied the description from one of the articles, the bronze statue depicts a male soldier kneeling in prayer with the dog tags of his comrades in his hands, while a female soldier rests her hand on his back and looks south across the valley, alert for danger. “This (statue) symbolizes our absolute respect for all of our veterans, past, current and future,” Dirk Kempthorne, a former governor of Idaho, told the Statesman. He was involved in organizing the effort and gathering the funding to commission the statue. Kempthorne said the combination of a man and a woman is significant, as it affirms that “in defense of our liberties and freedom, men and women stand shoulder to shoulder.”
I really like that description, as it was in the military where Kevin and I met.
The Idaho Air National Guard did a flyover followed by a canon salute.
After that Bugles Across America played Taps. It was absolutely beautiful and emotional.
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