As we go about our business after work on Fridays, celebrating the end of the week, about 30 people clad in red t-shirts and carrying American flags have gathered for three years running to walk down Carson Street in support of our American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I first met Mike McElfish, organizer of the Friday Red Shirt Walk, in September 2008 after he helped coordinate a similar walk in memory of Army Sgt. Timothy Smith of South Lake Tahoe who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad on April 7, 2008.
I remember Mike telling me about his nephew, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Rodgers, who died with six others on May 30, 2007 in an Afghanistan helicopter attack. I remember him telling some of the things he’s done to keep Joshua’s memory and spirit alive. The public walk on Fridays in Carson City being one of them.
In the parking lot of the Carson Mall, our eyes met and then our hands shook but our names escaped us. We re-introduced ourselves and Mike introduced me to the group and then asked me if I was going to walk with them. I was in the middle of writing a story, looking for a wifi connection, but promised next Friday.
I have my red shirt from that September 2008 march that memorialized Smith, a young man I had never met, but came to know after spending some time with Smith’s family and friends. Now living in Carson City, I’d like to learn more about Rodgers and spend some time with family and friends who, admirably, dedicate themselves once a week to honoring the American soldiers who’ve lost their lives, and to show their support for active duty and retired military soldiers and their families.
These 30 or so people who spend their Friday evenings walking are the ones who remind me that it may be the end of a long week and quittin’ time over here, but it appears to be far from over, over there.
