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Last week on my trip back to Texas from Montana, I had the privilege of witnessing the return of two Fallen Soldiers. The first at Denver airport. The second at DFW airport. One of the Fallen Soldiers was on my flight from Denver to Dallas. The flight crew announced it to us, and asked that we allow the soldier's escort to leave the plane first. We could see, taxing into our gate, a couple of police cars with lights going and behind them, an honor guard.

In Denver, the Fallen Soldier also was met at his or her final destination by an honor guard as well as several family members. Airport staff on the runway stopped what they were doing to stand still in honor of the Fallen Soldier. Inside the terminal, things suddenly got quiet. People moved toward the windows.  Those already close to the windows, one by one, stood up. This spontaneous show of support, paying respects, or whatever it was, continued until the casket was loaded onto the awaiting hearse. A soldier among the crowd in the terminal was seen wiping away tears. She wasn't alone.

It is a sobering reminder of the ultimate sacrifice these brave and heroic souls are making for our country. While trying to find a name for these two soldiers, I found an important site (below). It has the names of ALL our Fallen Soldiers from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. 6458 names as of today.

http://www.militarytimes.com/valor/