thedrifter
05-29-07, 05:57 AM
Article published May 29, 2007
Trees become living memorials for fallen Marines
Three new names added in ceremony
By Christina M. Mitchell/staff
cmitchell@newsleader.com
STAUNTON — Three little trees stand freshly planted along the row leading into Staunton's Frontier Culture Museum.
Each sported a red, white and blue ribbon winding through its spindly young branches on Monday afternoon, along with a metal tag bearing the name of a young Marine killed in battle.
Two mothers and one family friend stood at those trees on Memorial Day, attaching the name tags of the last three local Marines to die for cause and country. A uniformed veteran played "Taps" in the background as the women wound the metal chains into each tree's branches.
But Jason Redifer, Daniel Bubb and Daniel Morris were more than just fallen Marines, as retired Navy commander and chaplain David Reed reminded the gathered crowd. They were sons. They were brothers. They were sweethearts. They were young men whose talents were suddenly cut short, but whose contributions will long be remembered.
Daniel Bubb first expressed his call to duty at age 16, right after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, recalled his mother, Janey Harrah.
"He said, 'Mom, Dad, you and the country come first,'" Harrah remembered. "'If I needed to, I'd want to be right there in front of you all to protect you.'"
That's why, when her son turned 17, Harrah was willing to sign to allow him to join the Marines.
Remembering his letters home from Iraq, Harrah recalled the love her son expressed, love for his work, love and hope for the Iraqi children that would one day take over their nation. The strength of it surprised even the mother who'd watched her son pour out a similar love to his family and to his community at home.
"He amazed me," Harrah said. "This is what he was meant to be."
Bubb, Morris and Redifer joined the legacy of 347 other local soldiers and Marines killed in action since World War I. Each of the now 350 Bradford pear and Littleleaf Linden trees represent one of those men. The memorial avenue of trees run in alphabetical order along U.S. 250, Statler Boulevard and the entrance to the Frontier Culture Museum.
Each time a tree is damaged or threatened by development, members of the American Legion Post 13 replace and relocate these living memorials.
Standing by her son's tree, Harrah said she hoped passers-by would remember the people the trees represent.
"This was a very special person who helped protect our country and our land," Harrah said. "He wasn't just a soldier, he was somebody. He took care of his family as well as the country."
Ellie
Trees become living memorials for fallen Marines
Three new names added in ceremony
By Christina M. Mitchell/staff
cmitchell@newsleader.com
STAUNTON — Three little trees stand freshly planted along the row leading into Staunton's Frontier Culture Museum.
Each sported a red, white and blue ribbon winding through its spindly young branches on Monday afternoon, along with a metal tag bearing the name of a young Marine killed in battle.
Two mothers and one family friend stood at those trees on Memorial Day, attaching the name tags of the last three local Marines to die for cause and country. A uniformed veteran played "Taps" in the background as the women wound the metal chains into each tree's branches.
But Jason Redifer, Daniel Bubb and Daniel Morris were more than just fallen Marines, as retired Navy commander and chaplain David Reed reminded the gathered crowd. They were sons. They were brothers. They were sweethearts. They were young men whose talents were suddenly cut short, but whose contributions will long be remembered.
Daniel Bubb first expressed his call to duty at age 16, right after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, recalled his mother, Janey Harrah.
"He said, 'Mom, Dad, you and the country come first,'" Harrah remembered. "'If I needed to, I'd want to be right there in front of you all to protect you.'"
That's why, when her son turned 17, Harrah was willing to sign to allow him to join the Marines.
Remembering his letters home from Iraq, Harrah recalled the love her son expressed, love for his work, love and hope for the Iraqi children that would one day take over their nation. The strength of it surprised even the mother who'd watched her son pour out a similar love to his family and to his community at home.
"He amazed me," Harrah said. "This is what he was meant to be."
Bubb, Morris and Redifer joined the legacy of 347 other local soldiers and Marines killed in action since World War I. Each of the now 350 Bradford pear and Littleleaf Linden trees represent one of those men. The memorial avenue of trees run in alphabetical order along U.S. 250, Statler Boulevard and the entrance to the Frontier Culture Museum.
Each time a tree is damaged or threatened by development, members of the American Legion Post 13 replace and relocate these living memorials.
Standing by her son's tree, Harrah said she hoped passers-by would remember the people the trees represent.
"This was a very special person who helped protect our country and our land," Harrah said. "He wasn't just a soldier, he was somebody. He took care of his family as well as the country."
Ellie