Lufkin, Texas (June 20, 2007)...United States military personnel spend weeks, months and years away from family and friends defending our country and the freedoms we enjoy. Memorial Health System of East Texas knows that these men and women, whether on U.S. or foreign soil, give of themselves to protect us.
Memorial Health System of East Texas is inspired to show support for our troops by wearing red on Fridays and hosting a Red Friday event. The following summarization of a letter written by an anonymous author displays the sacrifices servicemen and women make for our country.
At an airport terminal in Atlanta, Georgia, people were standing with hands waving, clapping and cheering. Moving thru the terminal was a group of 30-40 soldiers.
Excitedly, a young girl, about 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. Upon kneeling down to say "Hi," the little girl asked the soldier if he would give something to her daddy. The young soldier said he would try and asked what she wanted to give to her daddy. Suddenly, the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The girl's mother explained that her husband was a Marine deployed to Iraq for the last 11 months and how much Courtney missed her father. The young soldier began to tear up. Then all of the soldiers huddled together and one of the other servicemen pulled out a walkie-talkie and began talking back and forth on it.
After a few seconds, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said to her, "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged the little girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying, "Your daddy wants me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon."
The mom was crying almost uncontrollably; and, as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards the gate, people resumed their applause. That young soldier, in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
When asked what we can do to make things better for our troops, the first thing a soldier says is "We need your support and your prayers." Everyday at Memorial Health System of East Texas, we remember our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until all the troops come home. Every Friday, let's make the United States a sea of red much like the bleachers at a homecoming football game.
To bring awareness, Memorial Health System is hosting a Red Friday Kickoff Event located in the Community Education A&B rooms in the mall area of the hospital. At 10:00 am on Friday, June 29, the event will begin with a flag presentation by the Boy Scouts of America and guest speaker Major General (Retired) Mike Taylor.
Memorial Health System of East Texas invites the community and military personnel, past and present, to attend this occasion. Please let's wear red at the event and every Friday to show your support for all troops at home and abroad.
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