Title: Welcome Home
Summary: While visiting some old Marine buddies in Florida, Mac pays his respects to a fallen Navy pilot.
Disclaimer: Don't own CSI: NY or the character of Mac Taylor. Just borrowing him to pay my own respects to Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends as he's laid to rest.
September 2, 2009
Mac Taylor could've been forgiven for thinking he was back on the streets of New York as his friend, Barry, drove through the extremely heavy traffic of Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park, Florida. The New York CSI was in Jacksonville for an informal reunion with some old Marine buddies and one of them suggested showing Mac a must-see location for everyone connected to the military.
"You see the videos of the memorial procession online, Mac?" his other friend, Jim, asked as he gestured to both sides of the road. "There were people lined up and down Blanding as far as the eye could see that day."
Mac nodded. "Yeah, I did. It's amazing that a city this big virtually stopped to pay their respects."
Barry commented, "That's a combination of this being a strong Navy town and the fact that the guy was from here." He turned into the cemetery. "Jim, you know where it is?"
There was no need for Jim to ask what "it" was. He looked at the paper with the directions and told Barry which way to go.
A short time later, the three former Marines found themselves standing in front of the gravesite of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher, the first casualty of Desert Storm. His remains had only just been found about a month ago.
A friend of Mac's had given him a MIA bracelet with Captain Speicher's name not long after the Navy pilot went missing. However, Mac wasn't able to return the bracelet in time for the Captain's burial, so he placed it by the headstone.
The three stood in reflection for a moment, then, despite the fact that none of the men was still on active duty, much less in uniform, they saluted in memory of a fellow officer.
Mac was the first to break the silence. "Welcome home, Captain."
North Florida Never Forgot, Never Will.
Welcome Home, Captain Speicher.