Remember the Heroes
A Stargate Memorial Day Story
By Teri
Disclaimer: Sadly, I am not associated with the owners or creators of Stargate.
Note: This is a Memorial Day story and hopefully deals favorably with U. S. Veterans and their families.
Spoilers: Season 7, Heroes, Part 2
Today is Memorial Day and I am here at Holy Redeemer cemetery in Colorado Springs to place a flag on my father's grave. It is fitting, Memorial Day use to be called Decoration Day because it was meant to be a day to decorate the graves of veterans.
My Dad hasn't been gone long, but before he met my mother he proudly served in the South Pacific during World War II. He never talked about his time there, but the men from his ship were his brothers and he always spent Memorial Day putting flags on veteran's gravestones along with the rest of his American Legion Post. How could I not carry on the tradition and put a flag on his grave today?
I find his stone and stick the flag into the vase attached to marker, but my attention is pulled away from him to a young woman several rows away. She was already there when I arrived. She too has placed a flag on the stone in front of her. The stone must be fairly new, I don't recall seeing it the last time I visited Dad at Easter. I heard her say "Hi, Mom". Given that this is Colorado Springs I assume her mother was Air Force, perhaps killed in action recently?
She looks so alone. I've never been able to walk away from someone in trouble. My ex-husband use to laugh at me, but the truth was he was the same way.
"Well, Dad. Looks like I am going to do my good deed for the day," I said to my Dad as I decided to go over to her. She looked liked she needed someone.
I walked over and stood next to her. I didn't want to startle her or interrupt her privacy, but I wanted her to know someone was here for her.
"She's been gone a year now," her voice startles me from my own thoughts.
"Your mother?" I asked looking at her. She couldn't be more than 17. She was probably the same age as my son. It made me want to hug her.
"Yes," she said softly.
"Air Force?"
She turns a slightly wry grin on me, "here? What else is there?" I think she would have smiled if we had been anywhere else. She was silent for a moment. "She died in combat. She was a doctor, trying to save a patient. Saving people. She did that a lot."
"She didn't want to leave you," I knew that without thinking.
"I know, I just wish . . . wish there could have been some other way."
"You should be proud of her."
"I am."
"She was a Hero."
"They all are," her voice was certain and quiet perhaps it was because her words were so true.
I thought of my Dad and his friends, friends of my husband who had died in the line of duty and I couldn't help, but agree with her.
"Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, my Uncle should be here soon."
I nodded and began to leave, but she stopped me. She reached down and rubbed some cut grass that was sitting on the base of her mother's stone, before she reached over and pulled one of the flowers out of her mother's arrangement. "Thank you for coming over," she said with a small smile as she stood up and turned to me offering me the flower, "for your . . . " She gestured to Dad's stone.
"My Father."
I took the flower and finally gave into the impulse to hug her. She didn't seem to mind.
"Mom, would have liked you."
I smiled as looked down at the stone of the woman and decided I would have liked her too. She raised a wonderful daughter. I turned and took the flower over to my Dad. I didn't want to take the flower from the girl, it should have stayed with her mother, but how could I say no to her.
"Cass?"
My head jumped at the voice as I saw a man in the distance, in full dress blues approaching the girl I was just speaking to and engulfed her in a big hug, which she accepted without hesitation. I knew that profile anywhere, at least now I knew she would be with someone who would take good care of her.
"Well, Dad, I guess she will be okay. He'll see to it."
I decided Dad and the girl wouldn't mind as I placed the flower on my son's grave instead of my Father's.
I walked away leaving the cemetery that had people like my father, who fought for what they believed in when they were young and lived with those memories the rest of their lives, people like the girl's mother who sacrificed their lives for others, people like that officer who spent his life trying to protect others even to his own determent, and the young girl who had to live without her mother - Heroes all of them, each and every one. I couldn't be prouder of them all.
As I climb in my car, I turn and notice that the twosome had gone over to Dad and Charlie's grave and I saw them look directly at me. Jack gave me a smile of gratitude as he put an arm around the girl. Sometimes, I still remember why I married him.
I silently promised him, that when the time came, I'd make sure his grave has a flag on Memorial Day too.
In case anyone didn't get it, the speaker was Sara O'Neill, Jack's ex-wife.
Thanks for reading,
Teri
05/31/05