http://www.lafayettejc.com/news2005...116742952.shtml Flags honor lives lost in combat
By Max Showalter, Journal and Courier
Although the public address system had gone out of service before he spoke, Sgt. Dustin Maxfield had no trouble getting and keeping the attention of several hundred people who attended a ceremony Saturday morning to officially open the Hoosier Healing Field on the lawn adjacent to Tecumseh Middle School in Lafayette.
Nearly 2,400 American flags cover the two-acre site. Each flag has the name and information about a member of the U.S. military who was killed in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the name of police officers, firefighters or other emergency personnel who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Flags honoring Marine Cpl. Bryan Wilson, 22, of Independence and Army Spc. Luke Frist, 20, of rural Brookston were placed near the stage where the welcoming ceremony was held.
Wilson died Dec. 1, 2004 after a Humvee in which he was riding crashed in Al Anbar Province in Iraq.
Frist, a member of the Lafayette-based 209th Quartermaster Company, a U.S. Army Reserve unit, was killed Jan. 2, 2004, when the truck in which he was riding struck a land mine near Ramadi, Iraq.
"Luke Frist was my best friend. I was one of those who witnessed his death," Sgt. Maxfield said haltingly, as the red, white and blue flags fluttered in the warm breeze. "The last time I saw my friend he spoke no words. I only watched as he was being loaded on a Medivac," an air air ambulance.
"There are wounds of war that forever scar our minds and hearts. Though they never heal, in time they become easier to bear because of events like this, the Healing Field."
Members of the Business Masters Exchange Club in Lafayette raised $30,000 to cover the cost of the flags and other supplies for the exhibit that will be open 24 hours a day until closing ceremonies at 3 p.m. on May 30.
"I believe these flags represent not only a remembrance. They represent the ideals that the United States of America can be a beacon of hope for the entire world," said Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski, in comments during the opening ceremony, which also included a 21-gun salute.
Vietnam veteran Barry Roberts brought his grandson, Cameron, to visit the Healing Field Saturday morning.
"I just wish it didn't happen," Roberts said of the deaths that are memorialized by the exhibit. "But it honors the families."
A separate circle of 10 flags honors local police officers and firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Jeff Young of Indianapolis, president-elect of the National Exchange Club Indiana District, noted that Cpl. Wilson and Spc. Frist are two of more than 1,800 U.S. military personnel who lost their lives in the Mideast fighting.
"There is one common theme. Brian and Luke, they wanted to serve," Young said. "They had thoughts about serving as they grew up. They never complained.
"It is every American's duty to share with all generations the sacrifices these men and women made. We must teach our children not to forget. We must continue to take time to teach them to thank our American heroes and what they've done for us."
e-mail from Afghanistan
Tecumseh art teacher Nancy Burge has visited the Healing Field almost daily since hundreds of volunteers began setting up the display last week.
Still, she struggled to discuss her feelings Saturday, after walking through the rows of flags one more time.
"It's just really difficult to talk about. When you read the accounts of people who have given their lives, it's so touching, Burge said. "It's great for Lafayette to be able to host something like this. It's been wonderful for our students."
DeHahn recently received an e-mail from U.S. Army Spc. Kyle Rockhold, a 2002 graduate of Harrison High School who is stationed in Afghanistan and had read an online story about the Hoosier Healing Field.
Spc. Rockhold has been deployed to Afghanistan, where he expects to be for about 10 more months.
"It is great that the people of the community ... show such support and respect for those who are serving their country," said DeHahn, as she read from the e-mail sent to her by Rockhold, whose younger brother, Kory Rockhold, just returned from Iraq.
"It would be an honor to be there and see the display but the circumstances will not permit. Thank you for supporting us and we will always defend and protect with the ultimate price."
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I went to see this today after work. very moving experience. especially since my nephew left for Iraq on thursday.
I 'bought' one of the flags. but like most people, I requested that it be sent to the soldiers's family.
here are some pics;
