Memorial Day 2007

Happy Birthday, AL-O-HA!

I started this blog one year ago today...

And, today, we did the same thing we did last year: went to the Punchbowl Cemetery.

Last year, the kids really enjoyed seeing all the flags and putting flowers on my Great Uncle Royce's grave.

So, we got up early, cut some flowers from the yard, and headed out. We got there so early that we had to wait to get in to the cemetery because the gates weren't open.

As we walked through the cemetery, the kids would straighten the flags that had fallen through the night. I had to keep reminding them not to run... We would talk to the soldiers/sailors as we would straighten their flags. "Clifford! Did you have a party last night? Make sure you keep your flag up this time!"


We were able to visit Uncle Royce again. We trimmed up his stone and arranged the flowers from the yard. His stone is among thousands of other WWII graves. Very few of them have flowers in addition to the flags and lei placed by the Boy Scouts.


The children noticed that some of the graves also had blue flags. These flags denote Medal of Honor recipients. Upon discovering this, the children went to every one they could find to clean the head stone. Here is the grave of Joseph E. Muller.

And here is the marker for Martin O May:

As we walked back to the car, straightening flags and cleaning head stones, a man approached me. He was with the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He had taken our pictures. We'll have to see if they are in the paper tomorrow.

Thank you, honey, for doing your job: keeping us safe. We miss you. We love you. Come home soon!

300 days down...

155 to go... (but who's counting?)

Freedom isn't free