Over the course of this past weekend, several families from the Pacific Northwest gathered in private meetings and public ceremonies to honor the sons, daughters, husbands, fathers and friends they have lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A beautiful nighttime candlelight vigil was held in Columbia Park in Kennewick on Saturday evening after a day of private workshops for the families of the fallen. And on a beautifully sunny Sunday at Flat Top Park in West Richland, they gathered again – this time with hundreds of citizens who came to be a part of the remembrance. Our state governor and other dignitaries spoke of the sacrifices made by these families.
Former Richland resident and 4-star general of the United States Marine Corps, James N. Mattis, spoke to the families and assembled group. Mattis himself led the invasion into Baghdad and has spent plenty of time with boots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Tri-Cities is very supportive of our men and women in uniform and for this annual memorial for those who gave all in the name of our freedom.