SEVEN SHELBYS: A Tribute for Veteran's Day (November Blog, 2025)

   

I dedicate this post to my friend Larry Frost, and all those Americans who have given their lives for the freedom I enjoy....

One weekend, several years ago, my husband and I took the family over to our Estrella Residential Center to visit the Moving Vietnam Memorial Wall. At that time, I had not yet seen the one in Washington DC, neither had our kids, so we thought that would be a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon and reflect on the freedom we enjoy, and take time to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

One of our very dearest friends is a Vietnam veteran.  He has shared many incredible stories with us in our home and his.  We have looked through his picture and scrapbooks of memories, and seen the display of his many war medals that his wife lovingly made for him.  He had tried to throw them all away once, but she would not hear of it.  Despite the memories that still haunt him over fifty years later, she sees him as a true American hero.  So do I. 

I remembered him telling us many times about his dear friend, Shelby, whom he lost in Vietnam.  It was a horrifying story in which my friend witnessed his best friend's helicopter being shot down just yards away from his own.  Shelby had a baby daughter when he died...a daughter who would never know the incredible, kind-hearted man who was her father.

We arrived at the wall that day, and I realized I didn't have the slightest clue as to what Shelby's last name was, so that I could find him on the wall.  My friends live in Kauai, so I texted them, hoping that perhaps they would see the text and reply in time.  In the meantime, we decided to try to inquire based on our knowledge of Shelby's first name.  It was not a common first name.  Maybe, just maybe, we would get lucky.

We asked the volunteers, who were not only gracious but eager to help us find this friend.  They looked up the name "Shelby" in the database.  "Let's give it a try," one of them said.  Then, we waited a few short seconds, and she gave us the verdict:  "Seven.  There are seven Shelbys on the Vietnam Wall."

I asked her about them--perhaps some detail might register so that we could narrow it down.  Here is what I learned:

There are seven Shelbys on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

One was from Louisiana.  

Two were from West Virginia.

One was from Virginia.

One was from Missouri

One was from Nebraska

and one  Shelby hailed from Ohio.

All of the Shelbys on the wall were from the ages of 20 to 23 when they died.

Seven sons.  Seven friends to countless others.  Seven American heroes.

These are the things these soldiers share...along with their name.

Suddenly, we wanted to find them. We all wanted to find each of the Shelbys on the wall because no matter which one was my friend's buddy, they all had a story to tell. 

A story that ended much, much too soon.

In a strange way, I felt we owed all of the Shelbys a glance, a silent word of thanks.  A touch on the wall.  A photograph.

They deserved to be remembered.

We found all of the Shelbys.  I took photographs of their names because these young men matter.  

My friend did send me a text before we left the exhibit, and we were able to obtain a rubbing of his Shelby.  The Shelby who was his dearest friend.  The Shelby who would never really know his daughter.  The Shelby who will always have a place in my friend's heart, and now, mine...

But I am so grateful to have found the others, as well.  They will also have a place in my heart

Please watch these two videos (links below) explaining the origin of Veteran's Day and honoring American Veterans.  Then, comment on how you celebrate Veteran's Day, or share about any veterans in your life!  

Video One:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvkrwxsLXAw

Video Two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQUxu9uyyBs

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THE CONTEXT KEY: Opening our Eyes to Understanding in Life and Literature (October Blog)

 

You have probably heard it said (often, if you are in the second year of my class!) that context is everything.  Okay, so I admit, it is definitely a cliché, but I would also like to suggest that it is a whole lot more than that.

I recently read a blog post in which a woman detailed a story about attending a church service that was very "charismatic."  In other words, people were very vocal and enthusiastic in their worship style.  She was okay with that, at least at first.  But it really started becoming annoying to her when a woman behind her started yelling "Glory!" and sometimes, "Glory, Glory, Glory!" during the service and the preacher's sermon.  Once was fine.  Twice or three times was pushing it.  But when it became constant, the blogger had enough.  She had formed a judgment about this woman and it wasn't a complimentary one.

After the service, the blogger stopped to speak with the pastor's wife, who was a friend.The pastor's wife asked, "Did you happen to notice the woman who sat behind you today?"  The blogger commented that yes, indeed, she had noticed her, but she stopped herself from saying anything negative or judgmental that she might regret (she was in a church, after all!). That was when the pastor's wife said, "Her son was killed just last week in a drive-by shooting."  The pastor's wife went on to share what an inspiration the woman had been to everyone at the church in the way she had clung to her faith through her pain, "It's truly beautiful," she said.

In that moment, everything changed.  No longer did the blogger see the woman as an obnoxious, overzealous churchgoer.  The woman calling out, "Glory!" had suffered unspeakable loss and tragedy; she was a human being who was bravely confronting her pain and suffering.  The blogger posted these words:  "When we know context, we are slower to judge, slower to write people off, slower to feel disdain, and slower to puff ourselves up in self-righteous [or indignant] pride."*

Communication and social interaction processes are an integral part of our everyday lives;  at school, at work, and at home.  In each of these situations, both our culture and the unique context of our individual lives and situations play a role in how information is communicated, received, and most importantly, understood.  This is such an important revelation as you take in the flurry of information hurled in almost rapid-fire succession at you every day. Whether in watching the news, paging through advertisements, engaging in hallway gossip, or just making your own observations, you must always consider the role that the larger context of that message or sound bite is playing.

This should inspire this question in us all:  Who is judging you without a context today?  All of us can do only so much to allow others to see the "bigger picture."  But ultimately, in a world of Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, short tweets, and snippets of time that people may see us in the grocery store, hallway, or out on the field, they are going to see what they want to see, make of it what they will, and form an instant judgment.  This shouldn't surprise us; after all, we live in a hurried, "instant" world.  Personally, I'd like to hope that people who see me out and about, at my best and my worst, will give me the benefit of the doubt...

I have attached a video link here that highlights the results of a very interesting experiment.  Several photographers were hired (unaware of each other) to photograph the same man.  Each photographer was given a simple background or "context" of their subject.  None of them were true, and all were very different from each other.  It's very interesting how it affected even their artistic choices!  Please watch it by clicking this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-TyPfYMDK8   

In your post, share what you learned in the video, and what your own life experiences have taught you about the importance of context.

We live in a fast-moving, rapidly changing world of quick reactions and snap judgements.  We live in a society that gets its news in disconnected soundbites.  Perhaps it would be beneficial for us all to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on the experiences, emotions, interactions, and relationships that have brought us to this very moment.  Maybe it would do us all one better if we took the time to stop and consider all the possible factors that have brought each individual we encounter to this moment, as well...

(*Booker, Adriel.  "Context is Everything," I Still Belong blog, 2017)