Honoring those who died while serving
BRIAN WALKER/bwalker@cdapress.com | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 7 months AGO
Traci Brooks plans to wave the Honor and Remember flag at the Idaho Legislature.
The Post Falls woman is the state representative for the national Honor and Remember campaign, in which special personalized flags are presented to families of military personnel who died while serving.
Brooks said she plans to have a bill introduced in which the state will officially recognize the campaign.
"I think that it's important that we have this nationally recognized flag in the state of Idaho," she said. "When someone drives by a flag pole and sees a POW (prisoner of war) flag or a pink flag for breast cancer awareness, they know what they mean. But nobody knows what this flag means."
The Honor and Remember flag will be ceremonially presented to John and Stacey Holley three times, first during services at Lake City Community Church, 6000 N. Ramsey Road, Coeur d'Alene at 7 p.m. on Friday, then 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The couple's son, Army Specialist Matthew Holley, was killed in action in Iraq in 2005. He was 21.
The Holleys, along with extended family and friends, will be joined by local leaders from Frontier Communications, which sponsored the $350 flag, and members of the Patriot Guard for the memorial ceremonies and flag presentations.
President George W. Bush signed the "Holley Provision" in 2006 to ensure the bodies of fallen military personnel are met by honor guards when they are returned home. Their son's body was returned to San Diego and handled as common freight. The couple co-authored the story of their journey in the book "Medals, Flags and Memories."
The Holleys have homes in San Diego, where Matthew grew up, and Post Falls. Matthew was born in Post Falls.
Brooks said she heard about the Honor and Remember campaign through Frontier, her employer, and decided to become actively involved at the state level. She doesn't have a child who died while serving, but her son, Brandon Janshen, is serving in the Air Force.
"I wanted to be able to make a difference," she said.
The Honor and Remember flag was created after a father whose son was killed in Iraq in 2005 learned that there wasn't a universally recognized symbol that specifically acknowledges the service of those who died while serving.
For more information on the national Honor and Remember campaign and sponsorship opportunities visit www.honorandremember.org, call (757) 504-4722 or email contact@honorandremember.org.
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