Sometimes they got this news after
a knock at the door, a telegram, a call, or a scream. From that moment on,
for many "orphans of war" little more was said about their father's deaths.
For many, there were no funerals, no graves,
no bodies, no proof that their fathers would not return. They grew
up fatherless and hopeful.
Until yesterday, when more than 600 orphans
of war gathered at Arlington National Cemetery, there had been "no closure,
no acknowledgegment," no real chance to mourn. The ceremony was the
wake and the funeral many of these people never had. As a bugler
sounded taps and dignitaries made speeches, some of the war orphans, now middle-aged,
wept. They said it was the first national ceremony recognizing them,
the children the men left behind.
"Most of our dads are buried in places we will
never see. This gave us a chance to commemorate them. It was
a ritual, some closure", said Ann Mix, founder of the American World War
II Orphans Network. " A lot os us have the feeling we never buried
our fathers. A lot of us grew up with the fantasy our dads were gone
but would return some day. Most of us spent our whole lives and never
talked to anyone about it."
The ceremony yesterday, which was organized
by No Greater Love. included a dedication of a tree and memorial
stone, and placement of roses beneath flags of each country where the men
are buried and a flag for those who are missing or lost at sea.
People came from across the country hoping
to find clues to the questions they had carried most of their lives.
What happened to their fathers? How did they die? Is anyone
still alive who saw their fathers in battle moments before they died?
The inscription on the stone reads:
So proudly we hail
the 405,399 Americans who gave their lives
for freedom during World War II
You live forever in our hearts
Dedicated by No Greater Love
and the
Families of these gallant Americans
December 8, 1991
Jamie at the Memorial Ceremony
BACK