Wednesday, May 16, 2007

ROAD TRIP to Honor a True Hero: CAPT. HERBERT C. CROSBY

In just under one week, hubby and I are going to be embarking on a great adventure with the Patriot Guard Riders for a very worthy and noble cause: honoring one of our nations formerly Missing In Action heroes from Vietnam.

Need to step back in time for a moment….. On 10 January, 1970 (three years and one month exactly before I was even born), Capt. Herbert C. Crosby, of Donalsonville, Georgia, was flying somewhere in the jungles of VietNam. Somewhere along the way, he crashed and was never heard from again. Until November of 2006, he was officially listed as Missing in Action… Almost 37 years, his family did not know his fate 'for sure.' His remains were located and thanks to DNA, positively identified and returned to the family in November. They are going to have him buried in Arlington.. and since "Herby" (as his family calls him) and his family are Georgia natives…they specifically requested that the Georgia Patriot Guard Riders be present at his interment at Arlington. So… several of us are going up there to do just that. We will leave GA on Tuesday, and drive to South Carolina, where we will stay the night. We will arrive in DC sometime on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the PGR will be visiting the patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center... and I am SO looking forward to that. It's something I've wanted to be able to do, and have prayed for, for such a long, long time. Thursday night, we will stand in honor of Capt. Crosby at the funeral home for the family's visitation… and Friday, we will be at Arlington for this fine Hero's funeral. We'll leave DC sometime Friday and head back for home. It will be an incredible, awesome trip… what an honor to stand for one of our lost heroes, as he finally makes his way to his final resting place. What an honor.

I do not know what, if any, internet access I will have next week while I'm gone (or, if I do have internet access, if I will be too exhausted to post/write). However, I AM taking my laptop and will do my best to keep y'all posted during this amazing journey. Worst case scenario, I will be writing it all down and post after I get home. Either way... stay tuned for an incredible journey... a journey nearly 40 years in the making.

While I'm gone, my very dear friend LL has agreed to blog-sit for me and keep y'all amused. That way, if I can't get online much, this won't become a virtual wasteland of absolute inactivity. :) THANKS, LL!!! YOU ROCK!

Here are a couple links about Capt. Crosby:

http://rattler-firebird.org/vietnam/remembered/Herbert-Charles-Crosby.html

http://www.patriotguard.org/ALLForums/tabid/61/forumid/131/postid/354013/view/topic/Default.aspx

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank You Kat for such a wonderful story. I'm the younger sister of Captain Crosby. What an honor it is to our family of your honor to my brother. He was never forgotten, and neither will the remaining MIAs. See you all in DC. Have a safe trip.

You may also find more information at the website about him at www.firebird91.org. Bless You All.

Kat said...

Ma'am, it is our honor to be there...thank you for allowing us this privilege. ((Hugs))

Janie R Crosby said...

God Bless you Kat for a great story and for a wonderful tribute and honor to my brother, Capt. Crosby. I look forward to seeing you all at the services. Drive safely--who knows we may pass one another as I am driving up from GA as well.

Kat said...

I just can't tell you how much it means to me, personally, to be able to be there to honor y'all's brother.. and it means so very much to all the Patriot Guard Riders who will be going.... I'm so sad that Capt. Crosby's story didn't have a happy ending, but am glad & relieved that at least he was found and identified and will be able to rest in peace here at home, among the other Heroes at Arlington. Much, much love, many hugs, and deepest respect to your family. (((hugs)))

MommaKat

Georgia Blogger