I am an American by birth and a Chattanoogan by the Grace of God. (A phrase I borrowed from the late Lewis Grizzard and modified) I grew up in Chattanooga / East Ridge – Anna B. Lacey Elementary, Dalewood Junior High, Brainerd High, degree UTC. My family lived in Chattanooga until March of this year but I’m still up every month visiting friends.
I have been following every day the Chattanooga.com information on the terrible disaster. I went up on Friday the 24th to just be there for the family and to show my respect. My heart remains broken like so many others. I am so very Chattanooga Proud of the response and reverence all of Chattanooga and the surrounding areas have shown and responded. Chattanooga is a blessed community in that we have brave soldiers and policemen and first responders who are willing to lay down their lives to protect others, protect our freedoms and preserve this wonderful country.
I’m lucky in that I learned at a very early age that this community, this country, is blessed by the brave men and women who have made this country possible. My father was born in Holland and emigrated to this country when he was a boy and Holland was occupied. He isn’t with us any longer but his words continue to ring in my ears – “This country and this city are blessed but they don’t know it.” He said you had to live somewhere else to really appreciate what a wonderful place we have.
However, I think, that unfortunately, Chattanooga has had a wake-up call to how precious life is and how lucky we are to have such wonderfully brave men and women to protect us and allow us to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I’m sorry we had to learn in such a tragic way and I’m so very sorry that David Wyatt, Thomas Sullivan, Skip Wells, Carson Holmquist and Randall Smith and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice for so many strangers that they have never known or met.
In the July 31 article that David Carroll wrote in the Opinion section regarding how to contact the local families, it was mentioned that “For financial contributions, please mail to Randall Smith Fund at Capital Bank, PO Box 2146, Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742." Is Randall Smith’s family not included in the two Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga funds – 7-16 Fund and The Chattanooga Heroes Fund? I thought all five servicemen and their families were included in both. Am I wrong?
Thank you for your continued coverage of this tragic event that brought the entire Chattanooga community together and bonded as one.
Gwen Zander
Smyrna, Ga.