|
Motorcycles roar down Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania yesterday, part of the Frazier-Mason Memorial Ride.
Shelia Cutshall reacts after getting a custom ribbon magnet honoring her son, Joshua Frazier, who was killed in Iraq. |
BY REBECCA BLATT
More than 400 motorcycles roared through Spotsylvania, King George and Stafford counties yesterday in the first annual Some Gave All Memorial Ride.
They came with a sense of purpose, and to raise money. But mostly they came to remember two young men who died fighting for what they believed.
The event honored Army Sgt. Nicholas Mason and Marine Sgt. Joshua Frazier, both of whom died serving in Iraq. It benefited scholarship funds in each of the soldiers' names.
Nicholas Mason deployed with the Richmond-based 276th Army Engineer Battalion. He was known as a wrestler at King George High School and volunteered with the King George Fire Department. He was killed by a suicide bomber on Dec. 21, 2004. He was 20 years old.
Joshua Frazier was a Spotsylvania High School graduate, gun collector and Spider-Man enthusiast. He had already returned from one deployment to Iraq but changed units to return for a second time. He was killed by a sniper on Feb. 6. He was 24.
Frazier's father, Rick, said he was surprised by the high turnout at the event.
"It just goes to show you what Americans will do to support our military," he said. "This is a true example of what this country is all about."
Mason's parents said that the crowd reflected the support they have received since their son's death.
"We lost Nick in December of 2004, and it has never slowed down," said Mason's mother, Christine.
The soldiers' families worked with the Naughty Dawg Event Team to coordinate the event. Both soldiers had planned to buy motorcycles when they returned home.
The ride started at Spotsylvania High School with a prayer from pastor Ronald Thayer and speeches from Spotsylvania County School Board member Ray Lora and state Sen. Edd Houck. Houck presented each family with a flag previously hung over the state Capitol in remembrance of the soldiers.
From there, motorcyclists rode about 30 miles to King George High School, where they honored Mason and Frazier with a picnic.
Friends, relatives and community members ate hot dogs and strawberry shortcake while listening to music played by disc jockey Tom Brick.
Frazier's mother, Shelia Cutshall, said that her son would have enjoyed the party.
"I'm sure he's smiling on us now," she said.
The Masons also emphasized the importance of the festivities.
"Everyone here just celebrates these boys," Christine Mason said.
But around the corner from the tents and the music stood a more poignant display.
Two tables held portraits of the lost men.
A fireman's hat and a pair of cowboy boots lay on Mason's table. A Spider-Man costume lay on Frazier's.
People stood silently in front of each. Some hugged. Some wept.
Propped beside Mason's table was a poster with the lyrics of the Billy Ray and Cindy Cyrus song that inspired the name of the ride.
"All gave some, and some gave all," it read. " And if you ever think of me, think of all your liberties and remember some gave all."
The day ended with a gathering in the King George High School auditorium.
Relatives spoke in remembrance and thanked those who supported them.
"The enormity of our loss is unbearable at times," Christine Mason said. "What is comforting is the incredible pride we hold as parents of a hero."
The ceremony concluded with the sound of "Taps."
Rebecca Blatt: 540/374-5000
