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| God & Country: The casket of Pfc. Davis is taken from Yucaipa Christian Church amongst flag bearers. |
They came from the neighborhood.
They came from as far as La Mirada, Dallas-Texas and Michigan.
They came flying the Red, White, and Blue.
They came to say “Thank You” and “Good-Bye” to Pfc. Tyler Davis of Yucaipa, CA.
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| Young kids learn about being an American. |
They brought their children, their prayers, and their tears.What they brought in large doses was their gratitude.
Pfc. Tyler Davis, 20, was killed June 9 in Afghanistan
when his convoy vehicle struck a roadside bomb
during combat operations in the city of Tore Obeh.
Pfc. Tyler Davis, 20, was killed June 9 in Afghanistan
when his convoy vehicle struck a roadside bomb
during combat operations in the city of Tore Obeh.
I, like many in attendance did not know him. Yet, I imagine that Davis was an American Son, like all of our sons. He was probably a typical boy with all that comes with it. He had friends, a favorite movie, a favorite game to play. He probably had a girl he was sweet on. But one day, the boy became a man and he made a decision to serve our country. Then Tyler began doing the work of a man: a man who served the United States with duty and honor.
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| Even those who did not know him, mourned for him & his family. |
On this day, my flag was waving in my heart because my hands were filled
with the tools of my trade. But as I worked, my heart, prayers, and
tears went out to the family left behind.
For on this day, even amongst the diversity of the crowds there was no
separation - myself included. Everybody was united: the young and the
old, the near and the far, even the Diablos and the Vagos motorcycle
groups. They were all united under one common truth: We live and
breathe freedom because of the sacrifice of brave men and women who
protect that freedom.
In 1864, Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to Lydia Bixby, the mother of five sons believed to have died in battle during the Civil War. In it he wrote some elegant words which I offer the Davis family in their time of grief:
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.
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| The road to Sunnsylope Cemetery was lined with fellow |
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| A Color Guard leads the Davis family into Sunnyslope Cemetery in Beaumont, CA. |
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| Desiree & Kirk Davis hold roses at the close of funeral services |
Everyone in attendance, whether they were in
the church, on the street, or at Sunnyslope Cemetery knows what President Lincoln was talking about. Freedom isn’t free. There is a cost.
We are Americans. We fight for what we believe in. We fight for freedom, because we know that true freedom comes from God. We know that He has separated our Country to be greatest nation in the world, and we know that blessing must be protected. And when one of our American Sons die in service, we all feel a piece of that sacrifice, because without it there is no freedom.
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| Desiree Davis places a kiss goodbye on her son's casket |
When we breathe fresh air on our morning jogs
When we worship as we please
When we speak as we wish
Every time we cast a vote
Every time we do things that in other countries people die for, we must remember that freedom isn’t free.
The Davis family knows that.
I join the thousand that day that came to say:
“God bless you Pfc. Davis!”
“Thank you for your service.”
“God bless you Pfc. Davis!”
“Thank you for your service.”
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| An Honor Guard prepares to deliver the U.S. Flag to the Davis family. |
Greater love has no one than this:
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15: 13)
