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“I miss you Chris,” Tony Hernandez sobbed as he knelt,
touching his cousin's name inscribed on the wall. He kissed
the wall briefly before turning to leave.
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May 30, 2016 - Tony Hernandez, kneeling, touches the name of his
cousin, Marine Staff Sgt. Christopher Diaz, at the Honoring Our
Fallen Memorial Wall unveiling in Long Beach, Calif. Diaz, a
military working dog handler assigned to II Marine Expeditionary
Force Headquarters Group (Forward), was killed by an explosive
device in Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2011.The wall is the
first memorial in Los Angeles County to list all the names of the
more than 6,800 service members who have been killed in the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class
Alexandra Hays, 201st Press Camp Headquarters)
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Hernandez' cousin, Marine Staff Sgt. Christopher Diaz, a military
working dog handler assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force
Headquarters Group (Forward), was killed by an explosive device in
Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2011.
At a ceremony at Rosie the Riveter Park in Long Beach on May 30,
Diaz's name, along with the names of the more than 6,800 service
members who have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
since 9/11, were unveiled at the new Honoring Our Fallen Memorial
Wall. Honoring Our Fallen, a non-profit organization, provides
support and services to the family members of fallen service members
and first responders, whether killed in the U.S. or abroad.
A crowd of more than 100 turned out to witness the unveiling of the
wall. For some Southern California families who have a loved one
buried in Arlington National Cemetery or elsewhere in the country,
it is the first time they will have a permanent, public memorial
that they can visit locally.
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May 30, 2016 - Marine Staff Sgt. Edward Thompson, left, and Sgt.
Hugh Miles III, right, both with 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment
Division out of Pico Rivera, Calif., unveil the Honoring Our Fallen
Memorial Wall in Long Beach, Calif. Thompson and Miles also served
as members of a color guard for the unveiling. The wall is the first
memorial in Los Angeles County to list all the names of the more
than 6,800 service members who have been killed in the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan since 9/11. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class
Alexandra Hays, 201st Press Camp Headquarters)
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Hernandez said he was touched at seeing his cousin's name
on the Memorial Wall, and he is glad it is not far from
where he lives.
“People forget after they [service
members] fall,” Hernandez said. “And this is showing that we
don't forget ... we've got to tell young people they've got
freedom because of this.”
For Nicki Johnson and her two children Landan and Aspyn, the
ability to pay their respects so close to home is comforting.
“The reason that we're here today is that my husband is
buried in Arlington National Cemetery, and that's kind of a far
distance from here,” said Johnson, a Belmont Shore resident. “To
have something locally, just up the road that my kids can go to ...”
her voice cracking with emotion, “... Just so see his name, it's
incredible.”
Johnson's husband, Marine Sgt. Trevor J.
Johnson, a combat engineer, was killed by an improvised explosive
device in Helmand province, Afghanistan during his third deployment
in 2009.
“Our lives will never be the way they were if he was still here,”
Johnson explained. “My son will never really have a memory of his
father, and my daughter was eight months old when he passed away.
The fact that people can come here 50 years from now and see this
name, is important to us.”
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May 30, 2016 - Landan Johnson, 10, points to his father's name,
Marine Sgt. Trevor J. Johnson, at the unveiling of the Honoring Our
Fallen Memorial Wall in Long Beach, Calif. Trevor Johnson was killed
by an improvised explosive device in Helmand province, Afghanistan
during his third deployment in 2009 when Landan was only three years
old. (U.S. Army photo by Cpt. Rebecca J. Murga, 201st Press Camp
Headquarters)
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Flanked by three leather-clad American Legion Riders out
of Temecula retired Army Cavalry Scout Spc. Geoffrey G.
Quevedo showed off one of his tattoos and joked that it cost
him “an arm and a leg.” The quip is partially true for
Quevedo; he lost most of his left arm and leg to a blast in
Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2011.
And while
Quevedo returned from Afghanistan with his life, one of his
fellow 10th Mountain Division Soldiers, Pfc. Theodore B.
Rushing, did not. Rushing was killed in November 2011, just
days before the blast that nearly claimed Quevedo.
“Not a lot of people know what Memorial Day is ... what it
really means,” said Quevedo after finding Rushing's name on
the wall. “My brothers have died for this.”
Laura
Herzog, founder of Honoring Our Fallen, recognizes that
every day is Memorial Day for the families of fallen service
members—it's a mantra she repeats often.
Herzog was
a civilian public affairs officer at Joint Forces Training
Base Los Alamitos, California, in 2009 when she was asked to
help with a “hero mission.” Turns out, the mission was
assisting in casualty assistance notification, and she soon
found herself in the living room of Mary Hargrove, the
mother of Lance Cpl. Justin J. Swanson of Anaheim.
“I didn't lose a husband, I didn't lose a son ...but my life
forever changed that day; I'm not the same human being,”
Herzog said of her encounter with Hargrove.
Herzog
soon created Honoring Our Fallen, and still wears a dog tag
with Swanson's picture around her neck every day.
Honoring Our Fallen holds retreats for widows, mothers,
fathers, siblings and children of fallen service members, and throws
events throughout the year where those dealing with loss can get to
know one another.
“Being for them during the darkest days ...
not forgetting that angel anniversary, not forgetting that birthday,
and being with them, going back to the cemetery with them,” Herzog
explained of her organization's mission. “Helping them as they try
to find a ‘new normal,' because their normal will never be the
same.”
Herzog was tearful throughout the event and expressed a sense of
accomplishment that the Memorial Wall had come to fruition after her
organization had worked towards it for four years.
“To look
out in front of me and see so many families that I've served and
I've made a promise to them,” said Herzog emotionally. “I've always
told them, ‘as long as I'm alive on this earth I will do everything
that I can to make sure that your sacrifice is not forgotten.'”
More
information on Honoring Our Fallen organization
Poems and Videos >
Honoring The Fallen
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Don't Weep For Me
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Remember
The Fallen |
Tears For Your Fallen
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alexandra Hays
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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