A Ceremony to Remember 1
Last Friday, when I told you about Ray’s nephew receiving a high honor, I wasn’t sure whether it would be okay to tell you what that honor is. His wife Lynn checked and gave me the all-clear, so I’d like to tell you more about it. On October 10, Ray’s nephew Chris was promoted to the rank of colonel in the United States Army at a ceremony at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.
When Chris found out his Uncle Ray was coming, he asked him to give the invocation and the benediction. Ray and I headed out early to give ourselves plenty of time to arrive an hour before the ceremony as we had been instructed. When we arrived at the gate nearest the officers club, we learned that our driver’s licenses and a copy of the invitation weren’t official enough to get us past that gate, so we were redirected to the main gate. Once we made it inside, we enjoyed the drive through the base. It was like a cross between a long-established urban neighborhood and an old college campus.
The officers club was a grand building. Its back lawn bordered the beautiful Potomac River. If you have ever been to Mount Vernon and stood in the backyard of President George Washington, you can imagine the scene.
While we waited for the ceremony to begin, we enjoyed visiting with family members: Chris’ wife Lynn and their two sons Nick (9th grade) and Nate (7th grade); Chris’ mother Theo and her twin sister Judy from Tennessee; Chris’ father Alan (Ray’s brother); Lynn’s mother and father from Pennsylvania; and Lynn’s sister and her husband and two children from Ohio. Since Nick is in ROTC in high school, he wore his uniform, too.
Since Ray was on the program, he and I were assigned seats on the front row, along with Chris’ mother, wife, and two sons. From there we could easily look out the windows at the Potomac. I was privileged to sit by Chris’ younger son Nate. A little while before the program was to begin, Nate spotted a bald eagle flying near the water’s edge! I looked up just in time to see it, too. That certainly set a patriotic mood.
I told Nate I would try to show him a picture of a bald eagle we saw in Alaska (hey, why don’t I show you one?).
While we waited for the ceremony, Nate and I sat side by side looking at photo after photo on my camera. He looked intently, asked questions, and said he would like to go to Alaska. It was a precious time for me.
As we waited, a general came to our row and praised Chris to his proud family. By 11:00 a.m. the rows of chairs had filled with Chris’ peers and others stood in the back of the room. Together we waited. Finally a sergeant went to the podium and told us that the ceremony would begin when a very important person arrived–the person singing the National Anthem. She was late. I looked again at the program and noticed that she didn’t have a rank by her name. I thought, “It’s good she isn’t in danger of being demoted.”
Well, this is getting longer than I expected, so I’ll just plan on telling the rest tomorrow. We only had to wait about 20 minutes–you’ll have to wait a whole day.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalm 103:1-5