Marine Funeral In Town

Chris had early out because tonight is open house.  We didn't even end up making it to the open house because of her lacrosse game which was away.

We raced home when school was done.  We had exactly 30 minutes for her to change, gather her gear, eat some lunch, get fitted for her formal to be hemmed for the dance this weekend, and get back to the school to get on the bus and go to the game location.

We came to a complete stop on Antonio.

It was obviously a funeral.  The local streets were lined with wall to wall people.  I didn't know anything about it. 

 A local 20 year old  guy was killed in Afganistan.

He was a great young man and popular in high school.

He had just gotten engaged 2 days before he was killed.  And his fiance is the daughter of one of Christine's kindergarten teachers.

 Jordan and Julie

 His fiance above and then the flag being presented to his family.

Jordan is 3rd from the right and was an assistant team leader of his battalion.

I was so touched.  We sat in the car and waited and watched as the casket left the chapel at the Catholic church by our neighborhood.  The street had been shut down to two lanes so they could use the other lanes for parking. The motorcade left for the cemetery with a motorcycle escort.  That gave me chills.  It looked like there were about 100 of them.  And the men in uniform!

Here I was just going about my regular day annoyed that the road was closed down given my very tight time schedule, only to have a complete change of heart realizing that one had given his life for freedom.  The freedom that affords me all the things that are most precious to me.
(I got these pictures off the internet when I looked up the story and read about it.)