“This woman will be forever remembered for what she’s done.” ~ Matthew 26:13
Paula vividly recalled the drums
beating slowly as she walked with her two boys from the Old Post Chapel, behind
the horse-drawn caisson carrying her husband’s flag-draped casket.
Struggling to maintain her composure, she stared at his
freshly dug grave, the 21-gun salute, Taps. The chaplain handed her a perfectly
folded flag. A blur of tributes.
Then a lady stepped forward, a stranger, dressed not in
uniform but in a simple black dress. She whispered a few words and pressed a
card into Paula’s hands. "If there’s anything you need ..." she assured
before melting back into the crowd.
Their mission is to ensure no soldier, sailor, airman, or
coastie is ever buried alone. Paula recalled feeling as though an entire nation
grieved with her.
The Gold Star wife later wrestled with how best to honor her
late husband. She dug out the lady's card. “This is something I can do,” she
thought. “Not just for him, but for every veteran.”
Today, she’s lost count of how
many funerals she's attended over the past 30 years. “Eight to 10 Soldiers are buried
here daily,” she said. “So, two of us attend 5 funerals a day, regardless of
the weather conditions."
Begun in 1948, the group was created when General Hoyt
Vandenberg, and his wife, Gladys, noticed that some services had only a
military chaplain present. (Often older Soldiers who served in Vietnam, Korea,
and World War II who’ve outlived family and friends). Gladys asked her
friends to start attending services. Their efforts soon grew into a group of several
dozen women.
They’re not to be seen as professional mourners, but rather
as a support system for the families. Their role is to represent the service
branch to offer condolence, support the family and honor the veteran or service
member.
Because they’re all former or current military spouses, they
help to put a family face on the funeral service. Their presence reminds us
that a grateful nation shares in their loss.
Jesus showed the importance of paying tribute. He rejected
His disciples' idea that a woman who anointed Him should have sold the
expensive ointment instead, to make better use of the money. Rather, He has
called her act a beautiful thing. (Mathew 26:13).
For the heroes who’ve given their lives in service to God
and country, please honor them today. We’re the “land of the free” only so long
as it remains home to the brave.
