Life is a series of emotions…happiness, sadness, pleasure, pain. We all feel those emotions and they make us who we are. On September 11, 2001 many of us witnessed the pain and sorrow of one of the worst acts of human aggression experienced by our country on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, every generation during their lifetime has seen this type of tragedy, its pain and the indelible memory that it leaves within us. My brothers and I can tell you exactly where we were and what we were doing on that September day. We were here at this funeral home, preparing to meet families and conduct services, all the while checking newsfeeds in utter disbelief. The feelings from all those images were felt by all. However, during the days to follow, it showed us how united this country can become. It didn’t matter what race, creed, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, we are all Americans. Kindness and manners were no longer a thing of the past. People held the door for one another and please and thank you was heard everywhere. We were a united country.
When we built and dedicated the funeral home in 1989, it was a different time and a different country. We had dedicated the Veterans’ Monument to those who had faithfully served, including our father, Mark L. Dames, who served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Our monument was damaged in 2017. Looking at that broken monument lying on the ground evoked a series of emotions that caused us to redesign the monument that we dedicate today. We didn’t want the pomp or circumstance that surrounded the dedication of our first monument. We wanted to be surrounded by past and present members of the military and those first responders, for whom we have unbridled appreciation. What we had to say during this dedication is simple; “We want to share how important you are to us, the community and the country.” This is an American story of deep appreciation of the country that we live in and the people that represent the reason why this is the greatest country on earth.
