Moments like these are why I enjoy blogging. Today, Memorial Day, I wish to share a post to remember those who have bravely given their lives for our country. Being a member of the LDS faith, genealogy plays a big role in my life. So I started to research some of my relatives who have given their lives in service. I decided to reached out to my grandparents, in New Mexico, to see if they knew of any family members who had lost their life in service. The story they shared with me was about my relative Sergeant Norman Hubert Bloomfield, who served and gave his life in the Vietnam war.
When I looked him up on Family Search. I found stories written by Doug Bloomfield. He was killed at Hill 996 in the A Shau Valley, Thua Thien Province, I Corps area in the Republic of Vietnam. He was part of the Company D, 1st of the 506th Infantry 101st Airborne Division. He was killed in action July 11th 1969.
"When the casket came to the relief society room, and they told us the casket had to remain closed, they said because he was disfigured and all, then I began to hope that it was all a mistake. That the body was so shot up that the army really didn’t know who it was, but they couldn’t find Norman so they figured it must be him. For the next 20 years I was sure that Norman wasn’t a KIA (Killed In Action), but was MIA (Missing In Action), and would walk in the door some day. It wasn’t until years later that I found out mom had done the same thing. There was a lot of information that would have disproved that idea to any sane person, but I wasn’t and so I held the notion for many years."
"He [Norman] was true to not only his testimony, and to the ideals he practiced as a missionary, but he was also true to his country, and to freedom. He had a sure knowledge that the work they were doing there was to preserve freedom, and that any sacrifice to that end was worth it."
When I read the passage,"For the next 20 years I was sure that Norman wasn’t a KIA (Killed In Action), but was MIA (Missing In Action), and would walk in the door some day." My heart sank. Forever hoping that your family would walk back through the door makes me realize how much soldiers and their families suffer in pursuit of my freedom. I am so grateful for the sacrifices made by others so that I and my future family can enjoy the privilege of freedom. Everyone who serves should be remembered, given thanks, and moment of silence for their sacrifice.
"Norman gave his life so that a people could remain free. The subsequent decisions of politicians notwithstanding, the work they did there was important enough that he willingly gave his life for it. Don’t ever think that his life was wasted, because it was not. Don’t think that he was misled, or some kind of fanatic, because he wasn’t. He was a young man eager to return home and get married, and carry on with education and life. He was a man that knew a good cause when he saw it, and wasn’t a coward, or so selfish that he would spare himself at others expense. The action that he was killed in, as you will read in other papers in this group, was very dangerous. Only 3 men escaped un-injured, and many died. Norman stood out and served his fellow solders, covering for them in the hopes that they might live." ~Doug Bloomfield
I feel blessed knowing I will see my family again, and that we are sealed for time and all eternity. I know those that have served and whom are currently serving have sacrificed immensely and for that I am extremely grateful. Happy Memorial Day! And let us remember those loved ones who have lost their lives in service.