Love Letters From the Grave(35)

The four afternoon races were about as exciting as the morning ones. In all of them the leads changed hands frequently, and the finishes were very close. In fact, in two of them the top three finishers were bunched: with less than a motorcycle length between first and third place. A few minutes after the 8th race, the grandstand was again wheeled out and put in place. The M.C. then stepped to the mike and requested that all veterans at the track should leave their seats, and assemble behind the Marine Corps band down the track to the left of the grandstand. Next, he introduced the last two speakers of the day: a Lieutenant Colonel Navy Nurse Corps veteran and, the celebrity attraction of the day - the movie star, Colonel Jimmy Stewart, a decorated bomber pilot in the European Theater of WWII.

The Lieutenant Colonel spoke simply and to great effect.

‘With so many veterans here, I’m sure they would all join me in recognizing the vital contributions made by women in the services and back here at home during the war. Nurses, mechanics, cooks, auxiliary staff – the war could not have been won without them. Without the women working in defense plants, building the planes, tanks, trucks, jeeps, and other vital war materials, the war could have been lost. They are the unsung heroines of the war, and I commend them all.’

Molly wiped away another tear. This really had to be the most unusual wedding day, but somehow it seemed to sum up what everyone had gone through, and why they had fought so hard for this freedom.

Colonel James Stewart then stepped to the mike, to deafening shouts and clapping.

‘I can’t really add much to what the Lieutenant Colonel has already said.’ His voice, so familiar to everyone, was close to breaking as he viewed the masses of veterans before him. ‘It’s simply an honor to be here, and to have fought at your side. God bless us all.’

Then he stood dramatically to attention and turned his head to the left, as the Marine Corps band broke out into a rousing rendition of, "The Washington Post," and began marching toward the grandstand area. Behind the band marched every veteran at the track, led by the female veterans of all services. The band led the formation of veterans down the center of the track, halting when the center of the veteran’s formation was directly in front of the bandstand. The band then wheeled around to take a position directly behind the middle of the veteran’s formation, while the color guard rearranged itself so that the American Flag was at the front, followed by the service flags. The band then played stirring renditions of Cohan's, "You're A Grand Old Flag," and Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."

Colonel Stewart saluted. ‘Our country, in fact the whole world, must remember every day the service and sacrifices made by these veterans assembled here. We must remember every day the sacrifices made by the families of these veterans – please, all of you, stand up so we can see you. Yes! We honor you all.’ He led the applause for the startled families of the veterans. ‘And finally, I would like to thank those responsible for giving me the privilege and honor of being a part of this very impressive patriotic program. I’m currently on a USO tour to raise money for blind veterans, and I must say, I have never been so proud to stand up for our country. Thank you.’

Jimmy Stewart walked away to a standing ovation, before the track was cleared for the feature race, pitting the winners of the eight earlier races against each other.

The feature race was the most exciting one of all. It had a lot of drama as the eight racing daredevils maneuvered, and careened down the track. The lead changed 27 times, with only a few minor mishaps, and all eight riders finished the race. On next to the last lap, the favorite to win the race, broke away from his nearest competitors blasted forward, winning in track-record time. After taking a victory lap, the winner then made his way to the grandstand where Colonel Stewart presented him with a beautiful, large trophy.

Finally, everything in the clubhouse was set up for the reception. A serving line was in place for a buffet-style dinner, featuring southern-fried chicken, baked ham, corn-on-the-cob, mashed potatoes, green beans, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers in vinegar, bread pudding, and two cobblers - apple and cherry. Refreshments included iced tea, iced water, coffee, milk, lemon-aid, and draft beer. Long tables with benches, each seating twelve people, were arranged in four rows of four tables each, with another one set up as a head table. It seemed that nearly all, if not all, of the people who were invited to the reception had showed up. With everyone hugging each other and laughing at the novelty of the day, the clubhouse was quite crowded.

The reception went well, with George and Molly doing their best to greet, chat with, and accept congratulations from everyone there. They were pleased to see that nearly all their relatives and friends who had served in the military were wearing their uniforms. After approximately a half-hour of circulating around the room, Jesse and Aunt Dolores, along with Uncle Albert, formally introduced George and Molly, and made a few brief remarks about the wedding, as well as about the wonderful events which they were witnessing at the racetrack.

The two hours went by so fast that they were surprised when someone said that there was only fifteen minutes left until the start of the evening program. The clubhouse began to empty, as all those staying returned to their seats to watch the Army drill team, the parade of nine local school bands and the extravagant firework display.

The wedding party, however, decided to leave before the display began. On the way home, even though they were tired, all five chatted away about the remarkable things which had taken place at the racetrack, and how privileged they felt that the wedding had been a part of it. It was, indeed, the most fantastic, patriotic, and meaningful 4th of July they had ever heard of.