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Denise Williams, our Gold Star mom, shares her thoughts with us on this Memorial Day weekend. For those wondering, she requested her name to be displayed with the post.<\/p>\n
Denise sends.<\/p>\n
MEMORIAL DAY MADE REAL. BY A PLAY<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Each year many of us take time out of our Memorial Day weekend to watch the National Memorial Day Concert on TV. We tune in to hear the stirring music, listen to the stories of those who have served, and of those who have sacrificed their last, full measure for our Nation. Two years ago, I had the privilege of attending in person at the Nation\u2019s Capital. The events of Memorial Day weekend 2019 were the most profoundly moving and patriotic I had ever witnessed. Until a few months later\u2026<\/p>\n
In October 2019, I was invited to go see a play written by a retired combat soldier, performed by veterans for veterans. At least, that is what I thought I was going to see.<\/p>\n
What I saw that evening was more than a play, it was the heart and soul of every warrior and of the families of those warriors. The pain. The laughter. The joy. The dreams and the nightmares.<\/p>\n
In one scene, there is a scream that I had never before heard, but I knew. It had come from my throat, from my soul on a bright sunny day nearly 10 years earlier. I had the opportunity to talk to that actor after and tried to explain what that moment meant, how it tore me apart and healed me simultaneously to hear another give voice to a pain I didn\u2019t know I still carried. Yeah, a play, an evening’s entertainment did that and so much more.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to take my word for how moving and ultimately healing that play was for me and everyone who has seen it in cities across the country. \u201cLAST OUT: Elegy of a Green Beret\u201d has been made into a feature-length film that is streaming on YouTube through Memorial Day. (Link Below).<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t say which was more powerful, though there is something to be said for a live performance. Luckily, everyone can have the chance to see this incredibly important play performed live on Saturday, May 29th 6:30pm EST (5:30pm CDT). Simply register and one click to open the welcome from Scott, the film & webinar talkback afterwards.<\/p>\n
Before you click either link, be advised there are serious Trigger Warnings. Don\u2019t take them lightly.<\/p>\n
Warning: Themes of Post-Traumatic Stress, Depictions of Combat, Potentially Offensive Language\u201d<\/p>\n
Then again, the language warning probably doesn\u2019t apply to this crowd. If your reaction is to clutch your pearls, you must immediately surrender your Official TAH Membership Card and Decoder Ring.<\/p>\n
This limited release of the film and livestream of the play is, in the words of Scott Mann, a love letter to the Gold Star Families. Click the link below to see what I had to say about that (about the 1:05 mark) though many of you already know my heart.<\/p>\n
To all my wonderful, curmudgeonly, TAH deplorables my hope is your Memorial Day weekend is filled with all the pleasures and freedoms you swore to protect and defend. More so, I hope those joys comfort you as you remember those who make Memorial Day personal to you.<\/p>\n
For the Film \u2013<\/p>\n
Last Out: Gold Stars<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret<\/a><\/p>\n
For the live performance on Saturday, May 29th, 6:30pm EST<\/p>\n