The day after Thanksgiving, Emma Lou Johnson was busy in her Charleston, W.Va., home, performing her annual task of putting up a Christmas tree.
It wasn’t the 7-foot variety that used to enhance the holiday season in her house, but the trimmings included things dear to her heart. She placed an American flag near the top, and below that a framed picture of her grandson, Adam Crumpler, a Marine who died in the fighting in Iraq just before his 20th birthday in the summer of 2005.
“Adam was my life,” Johnson said. “I raised him after his mother died when he was 13. I can’t guarantee this tree still will be sitting tonight.”
Her Christmas trees haven’t made it past one day the last two years, victims of a 71-year-old grandmother’s grieving process.
In West Hartford, Conn., Raymond and Leesa Philippon also are preparing for the holiday season. As usual, they look forward to the family gatherings.
However, Dec. 11 will be a tough time. It’s the birthday of their young son, Bryan, and a day Larry Philippon wouldn’t have missed. Larry Philippon would have been 25 on March 25, but he died in 2005 while fighting with his Marine unit north of Baghdad.
“Holidays are all about coming home and family,” Leesa Philippon said. “We’re blessed to have wonderful memories. We always feel Larry’s presence when our family gathers at the dinner table.”
At the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., junior defensive tackle Richard Marshall of Broomfield has Thanksgiving dinner with his Navy football teammates. The Midshipmen are preparing for their annual season finale against Army. Marshall remains focused on football, but still takes time to connect with his former comrades from Iraq.
Marshall writes the Social Security numbers of Crumpler and Philippon in between layers of ankle tapping every time he takes the field.
“I don’t know that it would be easy for people to understand,” Marshall said. “Social Security numbers are among things you memorize as a squad leader. I wrote those numbers down a 100 times.”
The worlds of three families came together when Johnson and the Philippons learned of Marshall’s ritual before the Oct. 4 Navy-Air Force Academy game in Falcon Stadium.
Leesa Philippon wrote: “We do not know Richard but we would like to thank him for his tribute to his friend and our son. We know that Larry’s sister and brother will be moved as well. We feel the aching absence of our beloved son and loving brother every day, and it is truly a gift to know when others remember and keep him in their hearts.”
Johnson wrote: “My life was shattered when Adam was killed. Adam was a well-loved person. Everyone who came in contact with him loved him. He left behind friends that I didn’t know he knew.”
Marshall joined the Marines immediately after 9/11 but enrolled at the Naval Academy after completing his military service.
He will meet the Philippons and Johnson someday.
“It’s comforting to me to know their families realize their sons aren’t forgotten,” Marshall said. “I’ll meet with them, but I’m not emotionally ready right now. There’s no timetable. Some day it will just happen.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
