Memorial Day/The Empty Chairs
First a belated thank you to all our military veterans both past and present as well as all active duty military for the work and sacrifices you all have made to keep us free. With that in mind yesterday the Legion performed at the Virginia War Memorial for Memorial Day. As is the case on Memorial Day it is always an honor to play for those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and those that are paying the price right now. The event is always standing room only and that was the case yesterday as well. I think they sit out chairs for 500 or so but there always seems to be another two to three hundred standing around in the grass. The veterans and people who attend are always very appreciative of our contribution to the service. It almost seems like it is us who should be thanking them for letting us help honor those who serve, as it’s such a simple thing we do. The Times Dispatch put together a nice slide show of the event with SALPD providing the sound track. The slide show can been seen here.
Mac in his first performance
Couple of things from yesterday as foot notes: First the work uniform looks really sharp. I know we’ve worn them before but first time seeing such a large group. Second was the fact that we had several new members with us in uniform and on the pipes. Mac McClendon played on pipes with us while Justin Ingram, Al Parker, and Brad Trimble all participated as fully uniformed members. Hopefully Brad and Al will be joining the playing ranks in the next month or so.
Warm up for Memorial Day
As May winds to a close, friends and family of SALPD will gather this weekend for the annual Lock Studley event on the Shuff Estates. Just remember to wear your Studley tartan or suffer the consequences. The first part of June will find us honoring the Fallen Firefighters of Virginia on June 6th at RIR, as well as our military veterans again at the Flag Day Event in Powhattan on June 13th. The Flag Day event will help raise money for The Families of the Wounded Fund and McGuire’s Veteran’s Hospital as well. With that I’ll leave everyone with a Memorial Day poem from our very own Pipe Major Tim Batten:
The Empty Chairs
The Empty Chairs
The crowds have broken, people are returning to everyday life and routines, the chairs are all empty now. They stand serene like markers themselves to memory. Just moments ago, they were all filled, even beyond capacity with people standing beside and behind. Veterans, families of veterans, and patriotic Americans came today to pay their respect and honor those gone beyond before them.
Being not the greatest mathematician , one can only ponder how for each of those chairs, probably 10 men and women who laid down their life for the highest price, were known by someone setting there today, in some cases, the number is even more. Those who survive, bare those memories. Through wrinkles around what were once youthful eyes, they still remember. It was just yesterday, for all of them. They are the sentinels who watch and remember.
My Lord and Savior said “No Greater Love has he, than he who would lay down his life for another” Maybe it could also be said of our veterans and their families, “no greater love returned, than for us to remember always, those that did just that greatest act”
May we always fill those chairs, and never forget.
Pipe Major T Lewis Batten
