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Lt. Col. Quicy Collins (right) moves a wreath into view during
the annual Carolinas Freedom Foundation Veterans Day Wreath Laying
Ceremony in uptown Charlotte. NCNG / Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E.
Christiansen
A Charlotte Fire Department Honor Guard stands at attention in
front of the Bank of America Tower during the annual Carolinas
Freedom Foundation Veterans Day Wreath Laying Ceremony in uptown
Charlotte. NCNG photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen
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It's been like this for 18 years. An open invitation for average
bankers, lawyers, brokers, service staff, bus drivers, firefighters,
librarians, who walk past this event each year, in the busy heart of
the biggest city of North Carolina. It's an invitation to sit and
watch a 10-minute wreath laying ceremony in honor of veterans
everywhere, and those who aren't with us anymore. There are always
chairs open.
The busy time of high noon in a big city
scatters workers like ants to restaurants, meetings, (more) coffee,
and even possibly an early tee time, but not to fill more than a few
seats. Some stop and listen to the emotional heart piercing words
spoken by Lt Col. Quincy Collins, a retired Air Force officer who
spent more than seven years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam
conflict, but others keep walking by.
Freedom. Patriotism.
Honor. Glory. Words that are so easy to remember, but so lengthy in
definition, and so common that they are assumed. In 1995, Lt. Col. Collins helped organize and create the
Carolinas Freedom Foundation, a way to educate young people the
importance of citizenship, while continuing to honor those who serve
both in the military and other fields of community service. Collins
created his organization because of concerns that there wasn't
enough patriotism in the community.
Toward the end of the
service, Collins moved the wreath to center stage. He backed up and
saluted it. For just a few seconds, people from all directions
stopped in their tracks. They stopped talking on their cell phones.
Immediate destinations were paused. For just a few minutes, he
reminded all of us, what it is to honor.
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