A Hero's Welcome

Members from our current military drove behind our Veterans in their 10 ton trucks towing weapons from our field artillery and our thoughts and discussion turned to my fiancee, Spc. Ian W. Keyser, who is serving in Afghanistan as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He is expected home for some rest and relaxation in October and we wanted to create a welcome home for him that could mirror a Super Bowl parade. We just want him to know how proud we are of him and what he is doing for our country.

But what about the troops that do not have anyone to welcome them home?

Over-the-top celebrations are common place in both of our families but what about the service members whos family and friends are not as supportive? What would they come home to? It was then that I decided that no Veteran of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will come home to the same treatment our Vietnam Veterans came home to. It was then that A Hero’s Welcome was born, or atleast the thought of it was.

Sharon Hyland Keyser, is the Founder of "A Hero's Welcome"

Symbolism of the American Flag

From the book "Our Flag" published in 1989 by the House of Representatives...



"On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:



"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."



Also this from a book about the American flag published in 1977 by the House of Representatives...



"The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."