Now then; on to the weekend that was. This past Friday was the National POW/MIA Recognition day for 2014. The town of Foxboro was holding a 24-hour vigil from 4pm Friday, to 4pm Saturday afternoon, ending with a POW/MIA ceremony. The head of Foxboro's Veterans Affairs had asked us (Legion Riders) if we would help keep a vigil overnight and we said absolutely.
We paired up and took shifts of two hours each. My shift was from 10pm to midnight - one of the easiest shifts for sure. At the end of my shift, I felt like I could keep going, and would have if not for the fact that I had to be up quite early to get the bike into Boston, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The gazebo on the Common was decorated with Service Branch flags, as well as the Battlefield Cross that Artie had made for Shayne's run.
Also present was the Missing Man table...
The table; set for one, is small, symbolizing the frailty of one isolated prisoner. The table is round to represent everlasting concern on the part of the survivors for their missing loved ones.
The tablecloth is white, symbolic of the purity of their intentions to respond to the country's call to arms.
The single red rose in the vase signifies the blood that many have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of our beloved United States of America. This rose also reminds us of the family and friends of our missing comrades who keep the faith, while awaiting their return.
The yellow ribbon on the vase represent the yellow ribbons worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand with unyielding determination a proper accounting of our comrades who are not among us tonight.
The slice of lemon on the plate represents the bitter fate of the missing.
The salt on the plate represents the countless fallen tears of families as they wait.
The inverted glass represents the fact that the missing and fallen cannot partake.
The candle is reminiscent of the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of a grateful nation.
The Bible represents the strength gained through faith in our country, founded as one nation under God, to sustain those lost from our midst.
The empty chair represents the missing and fallen, who are not present.
Joe and I had parked our bikes right up on the walkway through the Common. Seemed like a good backdrop for some pictures...
Too bad my phone's night setting is so touchy. Joe's bike is sweet...which you can't really make out in this pic...
Oh, the temps? Yeah, they were pretty low...
When Billy and Artie arrived to relieve us, we stuck around for a bit and shot the breeze with them. I really did want to stay longer, but I had to shoot home and get some shut-eye, because I needed to be on the road in 6 hours...
Why? Because my bike needed it's 5k service, and Boston Harley does first-come, first-served for services on Saturday. And since I needed the bike for the POW/MIA ceremony that afternoon, I needed to make sure I was first in line so that I'd be in and out in time.
Ta da! First!
The service dept has a picnic table outside in the parking area. Being short on sleep, I decided to spread out on one of the benches and try to catch some zzz's...
...but of course, I was too wired and was unable to do more than just gaze up and the sky above me...
After a bit of time, others began arriving and lining their bikes up behind mine. A couple of the guys were pretty cool to talk to - one of them had even been on the Shayne's run last weekend (I hadn't recognized him but he saw my back patch and brought it up).
When my bike was finally all set, I headed back home for a quick shower and some grub, then headed off to the Post to meet the rest of the guys who were going to be riding over to the ceremony.
The ceremony went well and there were a number of folks who presented, or gave short speeches. Afterward, we headed back to the Post to hang out for a bit and reflect on things.
Sunday - up bright and early and headed over to Canton for their annual benefit run. The weather had been going back and forth, sometimes saying rain, sometimes saying we'd be in the clear. At the end of the day, it'd been mostly overcast, with a few sprinkles here and there, but no major wetness, and that's always appreciated.
As usual; I bought nothing but losing raffle tickets, so after depositing the losing pieces of paper into the trash, it was time to mosey on home.
It'd been a fun, but moving weekend. Lots of time to pause and reflect on life, and on those who have given their all to ensure that we have the freedoms to live the lives we have.
So in closing, be sure to be thankful for what we have. Sure things could be better. But they could be a whole lot worse, too.
Ride Hard, Take Chances...and Remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment