Memorial Day Ceremony Honors Heroes Who Never Came Home
In honor and remembrance of Caswell's military service members who never made it home from war.
On Monday, May 25, local veterans and community members came together at the Caswell County Civic Center to honor the men and women of the United States Military who never came home from war.
"I made it back, so I'm no hero," United States Marine Corps Veteran Fred Smith told Gold Star Mother, Cynthia Richmond before Monday's ceremony when she thanked him for his service.
Smith, who survived Vietnam, explained that he had been told during boot camp on Parris Island that "the only heroes were dead Marines."
"Her son gave up his life for us," Smith said of Richmond's son, Colby. "We honor him for his service."
Sergeant Colby Lee Richmond, a paratrooper assigned to 546th Transportation Company, 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade was Killed in Action when an Improvised Explosive Device struck his vehicle, August 25, 2011 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
His name is one of many etched on the black granite of the Caswell County Veterans Memorial. Smith, who serves as Senior Vice Commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7316, urged those in attendance to spend time at the Memorial, reading the names of those from Caswell, lost to war. He encouraged the crowd to remember them, not just as names on a wall, but as people who had made the ultimate sacrifice, people with families and other loved ones, left mourning their loss.
Long before Colby Richmond was a Sergeant in the United States Army, he was a three-month-old baby, adopted by Curtis and Cynthia Richmond. Mrs. Richmond remembers Colby as a loving child, who always wanted to be hugged. She said that even as he grew older, he remained outgoing and friendly, making friends everywhere he went.
