Every so often you get the one phone call when you look at the caller id and
say wow I haven't talked to that person I wonder what would of happened for them
to call me now. I had that the other day, I answered the phone almost
excited because I had just moved back into the area and have been slowly
catching up with friends. This girl Jen particularly I saw her mother in a
check out lined months ago and passed her my number to have Jen give me a call
cause it's been all to long since I've heard from her. (over six years)
Jen's
number came up on the caller id and as I giddily answered the phone she sounded
distressed but I didn't why and she didn't mention anything we talked for an
hour catching up on how many kids she has, and how many I don't want and
basically talking about everything that has happened in our lives. Jen was
the smart one out of our clique, she was already
taking college classes in high school and finished college in with a degree in
Education shortly after high school graduation but she didn't teach instead
married a classmate of ours, had 3 children and is a stay and home mother.
She enjoys her life and I was happy for her because coming from a lower-middle class
family it was hard to predict what she would of had going for her. Jen
also kept up with every body, she was the local gossip
channel if one needed to know anything they called her and she is good at it - I
told her she needs to write a book one of these days. Her comment the only
time she has time to pick up a pen or pencil is to write a
grocery list and then the cheque to pay for the groceries.
Jen's call after about an hour turned
to her asking me if I heard about people, I moved out of the area after high
school and didn't keep any ties to my home town which I only a quarter regret.
She then asked me if I remembered her neighbor, I remembered him well he was a spunky young kid that climbed
trees and bombed us with water balloons during "tea time
on the veranda" - I lost track of him early on assumed he moved or something
cause I didn't see him playing outside anymore and annoying us. She went
on to say that he went to a local high school graduated with honors and went
into the Marines and had been recently fighting in
Iraq. That took our discussion into how many people we knew across seas
and were fighting for our country. We trailed back onto the conversation
of Daniel and then out of the blue she asked me if I would be going to the
circle tonight and if I wanted to go with her. I was kind of caught off
guard and asked her what was going on at the circle that people were going there
at night, it's in a fairly dense residential neighborhood and parking would of
been hard so I was not immediately keen on the idea to go to the circle at dark
for no reason. She then in a shocked voice questioned me, "you haven't
heard"? Pause from both of us and that unsettling silence, and all I could
say "what are you talking about?" She kind of gasped and said, "Daniel was
killed in Iraq, I'm so sorry you haven't heard about this yet tonight they're
having a candlelight memorial." I was shocked, this was the first person I
knew of that was killed from the war, I had talked to people who know others who
have but this was the first one that I personally knew even if I hadn't talked
to him in years. My reply was "oh" and then I
thought about it and agreed to go with her to the memorial.
The memorial was large, most people I've seen that in a small area that wasn't
someplace for a concert or protest. Over 3000 candles were lit, and over
800 people were there to mourn the death of one of our fallen heroes.
People were praying, crying, screaming, protesting, wearing flags and some
carrying signs - the town came together and even those not from Tallmadge,
Ohio. It was a somber moment, and I don't wish it on anyone to go
through having to watch the family grieve, and the hundreds surrounding - it was
definitely a very sad evening.
RIP, Marine Lance
Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. and all of our fallen heroes, and watch over our
men and women serving our country.