thedrifter
09-02-07, 07:05 AM
Anderson woman's work is tribute to those who have served in the armed forces
By Liz Carey
Saturday, September 1, 2007
ANDERSON COUNTY — Tammie Davenport worked on the memorial in her Anderson yard to help her deal with the loss of her son.
With a memorial service on Saturday, that work became a lasting tribute to not only her son, but to all those who have served in the armed forces.
“This is our legacy,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work, but I’m glad it’s done.”
Ms. Davenport’s son James Ray Davenport was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in November 2006. The 20-year-old had served in the Marines for only a year.
Ms. Davenport and her husband, Clifford, wanted to do something.
“We decided we wanted to make a memorial, and I never do anything halfway,” she said.
Now, a circular patio surrounded by flowers and six flag poles sits in her front yard. In the middle of the circle, a single flagpole sits behind a granite plaque. Behind that, a wooden statue of a bald eagle sits flanked by two granite benches.
Each of the flagpoles on the perimeter holds a flag of a different branch of the armed forces. Other flags on the site honor prisoners of war and those missing in action.
In the center, a flag of the United States of America flutters above a granite slab that displays a poem Ms. Davenport wrote in honor of her son. Etched into the stone is a portrait of three generations of men in her family who have served in the armed forces - her sons, her husband, her father and her father-in-law.
Building the monument helped her deal with the grief, she said.
“My husband had his way of dealing with it,” she said. “I wanted the boys to know how much we appreciated them, not just standing behind them and criticizing like the politicians do and the media does, but really standing behind them.”
So for more than a month, she worked in her yard building a monument to the armed forces. With her nieces around her, she spent hours planting, laying stones and pouring concrete. In the midst of it all, she would think of “Jimmy.”
“Sometimes I would tell funny stories about what all he did,” she said. “But sometimes I’d cry. It was just my way of dealing with it.”
Lyn Hill, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Seneca, said Saturday was a day to remember and honor.
“This is a time to honor our patriots, our heroes, their final good-byes… and their sacrifices,” he said at the memorial service.
Surrounded by members of the Patriot Guard, neighbors and family members, the Davenports watched as the flags unfurled.
Ms.Davenport thinks maybe one day she will turn the monument into a park, she said.
“Those flags will be flown from now on,” she said. “The neighbors next door said they were turning out their outdoor lights because these are so bright.
Ellie
By Liz Carey
Saturday, September 1, 2007
ANDERSON COUNTY — Tammie Davenport worked on the memorial in her Anderson yard to help her deal with the loss of her son.
With a memorial service on Saturday, that work became a lasting tribute to not only her son, but to all those who have served in the armed forces.
“This is our legacy,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work, but I’m glad it’s done.”
Ms. Davenport’s son James Ray Davenport was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in November 2006. The 20-year-old had served in the Marines for only a year.
Ms. Davenport and her husband, Clifford, wanted to do something.
“We decided we wanted to make a memorial, and I never do anything halfway,” she said.
Now, a circular patio surrounded by flowers and six flag poles sits in her front yard. In the middle of the circle, a single flagpole sits behind a granite plaque. Behind that, a wooden statue of a bald eagle sits flanked by two granite benches.
Each of the flagpoles on the perimeter holds a flag of a different branch of the armed forces. Other flags on the site honor prisoners of war and those missing in action.
In the center, a flag of the United States of America flutters above a granite slab that displays a poem Ms. Davenport wrote in honor of her son. Etched into the stone is a portrait of three generations of men in her family who have served in the armed forces - her sons, her husband, her father and her father-in-law.
Building the monument helped her deal with the grief, she said.
“My husband had his way of dealing with it,” she said. “I wanted the boys to know how much we appreciated them, not just standing behind them and criticizing like the politicians do and the media does, but really standing behind them.”
So for more than a month, she worked in her yard building a monument to the armed forces. With her nieces around her, she spent hours planting, laying stones and pouring concrete. In the midst of it all, she would think of “Jimmy.”
“Sometimes I would tell funny stories about what all he did,” she said. “But sometimes I’d cry. It was just my way of dealing with it.”
Lyn Hill, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Seneca, said Saturday was a day to remember and honor.
“This is a time to honor our patriots, our heroes, their final good-byes… and their sacrifices,” he said at the memorial service.
Surrounded by members of the Patriot Guard, neighbors and family members, the Davenports watched as the flags unfurled.
Ms.Davenport thinks maybe one day she will turn the monument into a park, she said.
“Those flags will be flown from now on,” she said. “The neighbors next door said they were turning out their outdoor lights because these are so bright.
Ellie