Memorial Day

Memorial day is about honoring those who have served and sacrificed for our country. Service runs deep in my family.  I am very proud to come from a family that has answered the call to serve and protect our nation both at home and abroad.  Honoring the sacrifice is a tradition in my family for almost 70 years.  

On January 1, 1781 my great great great great grandfather Henry Haughton enlisted at the age of 16 in Colchester CT and served as a private until the end of the Revolutionary War.  In WW I, my great uncle Melbourne served.  WW2 saw the enlistment of my great uncle Alex who served at Guadalcanal, my great uncle Edward who served in the South Pacific and his baby brother Wallace who was killed when his B24 Liberator crashed.  

I grew up with a Dad who proudly served in the Army Reserves for over 20 years and my husband who served in both the Air Force and Air National Guard, deploying overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom after 9/11.

But today is about Wallace.  Wallace was 25 yrs old, newly married and attending University of Michigan when he decided to answer the call to serve.  After basic and officer training, he arrived in Bari Italy in August of 1944, a 2nd Lieutenant, attached to 130th AAF Bomb Squadron.  Part of a crew that flew bombing missions, his plane crashed on landing back at their base after sustaining severe damage on that mission killing all crew on board.  October 17, 1944 changed our family forever.  His bride suddenly a widow, his parents and siblings heartbroken.  

After the end of the war, our family decided to have his remains returned to the states.  William Wallace Parker was laid to rest here on American soil in 1949.  From that day forward my mother's family/our family has faithfully honored his sacrifice every Memorial Day weekend since his return.  Six generations have made time each year to honor his memory.  Six generations have knelt at his grave, weeped at his grave and prayed over his grave.  This weekend we once again take time to remember him and others who selflessly served and sacrificed their lives for our ongoing freedoms.  

We head to Flint, the gathering growing smaller and smaller each year.  To clean and place flowers for all our family buried there, but mostly for Wallace.  His will always be the first.   I am grateful for a family tradition that has stood the test of time and remains an important day for us.  Take time out of your holiday weekend to place a flag, attend a ceremony or just a moment of silence to honor all who have served and sacrificed. Thank you Uncle Wallace.  You will not be forgotten.