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A gravestone picturing Sgt. Nicholas Mason sits as the centerpiece of the memorial.
Christine Mason (behind microphone), mother of Sgt. Nicholas Mason, hugs Sonja Ruhren, mother
Harold Vogel, Sgt. Nicholas Mason's uncle, bows his head during the National Moment |
Carley Mason's words were too quiet for many to hear at her late brother's memorial service shortly after his death in December 2004.
So the Masons decided to immortalize those brief but poignant words at the memorial site of Sgt. Nicholas "Nick" Conan Mason, a 20-year-old Virginia Army National Guardsman killed in a suicide bomb attack near Mosul, Iraq.
The family hosted a community Memorial Day service at their King George County home yesterday to dedicate the site and honor America's servicemen.
Stafford County resident David Ruhren, 20, also died in the attack. Ruhren and Mason were members of the 229th Engineer Battalion out of Fredericksburg but were assigned to the 276th Engineer Battalion out of Richmond for deployment to Iraq.
Carley Mason's eulogy is engraved onto a replica of the turreted castle, the insignia of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that the family built in memory of Nick Mason, Ruhren and the members of the 229th and 276th Engineering Battalions.
The inscription asks that people pay tribute to the American flag, which hangs from a pole jutting out of the castle. Beneath the American flag hangs the gold-star flag representing fallen soldiers.
"I ask that if you see it waving, take a moment to think of those who are fighting for our lives and never question the cause for which they do," Carley Mason's inscription reads.
The Masons' memorial service also dedicated two flagpoles donated by King George High School, where Nick Mason graduated in 2002.
The two flagpoles flank the castle, which stands near the foot of Nick Mason's grave.
On one pole hang the Army National Guard flag and the Engineering flag that flew in Iraq and Afghanistan. The other carries the Virginia and King George County flags.
Vic and Christine Mason thanked the community for its support since their son's death.
"Out of bad things something good comes," Christine Mason said to the crowd of about 150 people. "We have made some really good friends."
The Masons were joined by Christine Mason's father, siblings and siblings-in-law, who helped build the castle. Sonja Ruhren, David Ruhren's mother, also attended the service.
The Rev. Richard Headley, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in King George County, led the invocation.
"We're gathered to remember all the veterans, but especially one. He was a son, a friend and, to many, a hero," Headley said.
The King George High School Navy Junior ROTC Color Guard presented the American flag while the national anthem was played.
NJROTC member Jason Norris said he was honored to perform at the service, despite the stifling heat.
"It is hot, but when I was standing up there, I thought of Nick and it didn't bother me," Norris said. "I'm doing this for Nick--for a friend and the country."
To reach NATASHA ALTAMIRANO:
Email: naltamirano@freelancestar.com
