Texas Heroes (Part III)

On Thursday, we had to make the long drive North Texas for a funeral. Aunt Lessie had died. She was 92. We had been expecting this for some time. She, bless her, even picked a convenient time. My Prince is retired, and I am on vacation, so no plans had to be urgently rearranged to pay our last respects.

The funeral was lovely, held in the First Christian Church of that small town. A sweet looking elderly pianist played several hymns with great expression. The minister spoke well and remembered that the service was Aunt Lessie's funeral and not a Sunday morning service. It was, if anything, too brief to remember such a long and special life.

There were not very many people at the service. At Lessie's age, she had outlived most of her family and friends. Her only living sister was too ill to attend. She had no children of her own. The 10 family members present were nieces and nephews of the great and great great generations. There were a few flowers from friends and family and the various organizations she had served over time, but none for her coffin. That was covered with a flag.

Aunt Lessie served in the Women's Army Corps in World War II. She was a nurse, first at Camp Swift, then for a while at Fort Hood, and then back to Camp Swift. At Fort Hood, she set up the nursing service there. At Camp Swift, the most serious burn cases were treated. She left the Army in 1945, having achieved the rank of Captain.

Apparently, she never much wanted to talk about her work as an Army nurse, because the stories were simply too painful. But she clearly kept her military bearing throughout her life and continued to serve her community in a number of ways for many years afterwards.

In her little church, the tradition seems to have been for the people attending the funeral at the church to stand outside waiting for the coffin to be brought out to be placed in the hearse. They stood on either side of the walkway. As the flag-draped coffin passed by, one fellow remembered and saluted.

Aunt Lessie would have liked that, I think.