Since, 2008 the Murfreesboro Noon Exchange Club has held what is called a “Healing Field” near the Avenues (a huge shopping mall/strip area). The field is covered with flags to remember our military men and women, both the current and past.
The 3-day event is always on Memorial Day weekend and is free to the public. Driving by the field and seeing the flags waving in the breeze is an awesome site. I stopped there yesterday to take photographs to share with you, but I got a lot more than I bargained on. Walking amongst the 1,000 flags was an emotional event for me. I thought of our men and women who are serving today and I thought of my ancestors and relatives who served or are serving. My family has been serving this country since just before the American Revolution.
These are not small flags; each is 3’x5’ and is raised on an 8 foot pole. So you are walking through a forest of flags taller than you. Each flag has a card label attached to the pole just beneath the flag with a remembrance or an honoring of a particular military person or saying in general “honoring our military men and women.” Some of the flag poles were decorated with either bells hanging below the flag or pinwheels were placed at the foot of the pole.
These flags were bought by local residents or local businesses and placed in the field by volunteers. At the end of Memorial Day the flag purchaser takes home the flag. Tuesday morning you cannot tell there were so many flags waving there. I think this makes the event even more powerful, because it is so quickly set up and taken down. A brief moment in time it is there making it more precious event.
I went yesterday about one o’clock the weather was beautiful and the wind was blowing just enough for the flags to wave gently in the breeze.
Slideshow of some of the photos I took at the Healing Field
