Once in a lifetime
It was a surprise to some of us Friday morning who were on Main Street in Marion to greet the steam locomotive and soldiers.
I don't know if it was the combination of the grandeur of the awesome locomotive, the impact of 25 soldiers who were wounded at war, or hundreds of patriotic people waving flags or what, but for some of us, including me, the emotion of the moment caught us by surprise.
I'm not what you would call a train enthusiast but when that big, beautiful, black No. 844 locomotive came thundering down the tracks, it was an incredible sight. It was huge and loud and so different than anything most of us have seen.
Off came men and women in U.S. Army fatigues, many with spouses and family members, with looks of amazement and gratitude on their faces.
We all knew it was a special occasion — one we wouldn't want to miss and one that probably won't come our way again. Most of us weren't prepared for the overwhelming feeling of pride, patriotism, and gratitude we felt when that locomotive pulled up with those soldiers and their families.
It appeared that the soldiers were genuinely surprised by the reception and by the time the accolades were said, I could see tears being dabbed from their eyes, too.
It was a partly cloudy day with the sun peeking through from time to time but I was thankful I had my sunglasses. Not to hide my emotions in shame but to stay focused on the job I was sent to do.
On a lighter note, Marion spark plug Margo Yates, the organizer of the Marion stop, came up to me later and said the railroad organizer of the event wasn't going to allow the train to stop since they were running nearly 30 minutes behind schedule. She was able to convince them otherwise.
Do these people know who they're dealing with? With all of the time and effort put into this special event by Margo and others, soldiers passing through Marion at 20 mph, waving from the train was not an option.
Margo said, if necessary, she would have laid across the tracks to stop the train.
You know, I believe she would have.
— SUSAN BERG
