“This is an experience I’ll never forget, and I hope to be able to honor another soldier who has passed, perhaps even Edmund one day. My eyes were opened to how good we have it in America, and the struggles and hardships of a soldier in combat.”
Participant
As a first time hiker, I was helping to unpack the stones on Friday afternoon, prior to Saturday’s hike up Cadillac Mountain. When the bag with the Date stone in it was passed to me, I removed the stone, and looked at it, trying to figure out what it said. When I finally turned it upright, and read the dates – 7/4/76 9/11/01 – I was completely overcome by the enormity of its meaning. I fell, or was struck, to my knees, and could not even speak for what seemed like minutes. It was probably just a few seconds.
The full meaning of that one stone, the honoring of all our fallen heroes since the beginning of the Revolutionary War, took hold of me, and I knew it would be in my pack, along with the hero stone of MSG Robert M. Horrigan. He would have eagerly accepted the extra weight of this fairly heavy stone, so in order to honor him, I carried it. The combination made this one of the most memorable experiences of my life (70 years, so far;)).
I hope to be active with TSP for many more years. Our heroes and their families deserve nothing less than our honor and respect, and I thank them ALL for the freedom we enjoy in this, the Greatest Nation On Earth.
Steve Crowell