Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out. — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Friday, May 24, 2019: Day 13–Ft. Belvoir, VA to Arlington National Cemetery
Rest In Peace, Sgt…
Today Lori and I had the privilege and honor to participate with 40+ local Patriot Guard Riders chapter members to provide a motorcycle escort for US Army National Guard Sgt. James A. Slape to his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery, at the request of his family.
Road Captain Bill Johnson provided instructions on ANC protocols prior to our departure…
We departed at 10:00 AM and arrived at ANC where full military honors (horse-drawn caisson, 21-gun salute) were rendered to honor him and his family (no photography permitted during the ceremony)…
Sgt. James Allen Slape, 23, of Morehead City, NC, was killed in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan on Thursday, October 4, 2018, while valiantly serving our country in the N.C.ArmyNational Guard’s 60th Troop Command, 430th Explosive Ordnance Company, based in Washington, N.C. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 11, 2018, at Glad Tidings Church in Morehead City. Family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 10, 2018, at Munden Funeral Home in Morehead City. James began his service to country early in his life as a member of both the Cub Scouts and Boys Scouts of America — Unit 334. He continued down this path of dedication by participating in the NJROTC Program at West Carteret. He joined the ARMY National Guard while still in his senior year of high school and completed the rigorous EOD training at Eglin AFB in 2015. James loved life and he loved his friends and family. James was passionate about many things throughout his life. Many a day he would take off to the beach with his guitar in hand or a surfboard or maybe just to spend time with friends. He loved sports and lettered in both Cross Country and Wrestling. He had a love of God and attended church in Morehead City and while training at Fort Jackson and Eglin AFB. He met the love of his life, Shawn Marie Eubanks in 2017, and they married later that year. They knew when they married that they would have a tough road ahead with James leaving for Afghanistan less than a year into the marriage. Their love knew no bounds and reached across the ocean to bind them together more each day. James is survived by his wife, Shawn, their fur babies, Hunter, Lilly and Monkey; parents, Jim and Trish Slape, all of Morehead City; brother, PV2 William Patrick Slape of Fort Jackson, SC; great-grandmother, Marie Braswell of Rocky Mount, NC; grandparents, Col. (ret) Frank Allen Faison of Danville, VA, Lynda and Chief (ret) William Richard Hile of Chesapeake, VA; great aunts and uncles, Gil and Jewel Faison of Mechanicsville, VA, Beverly Rackley of Wendell, NC; aunts and uncles, Col. (ret) Edward Lawrence and Cora Faison of Swansboro, NC, David and Sonya Faison of Warner Robins, GA, Beth Faison of Columbia, SC, Doug and Cristi Slape of Monroe, NC, Randy and Tara Hile of Chesapeake, VA; and cousins, Stephanie and Carmelo, Kristina, Zack, Nick, Gabby and Hallie. James was preceded in death by his great-grandfather, James Braswell; grandmother, Lyn Faison; and great-uncle, Ken Rackley. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the EOD Warrior Foundation online atwww.eodwarriorfoundation.org
Published in The Virginian Pilot on Oct. 14, 2018.
After the deeply moving ceremony ended, Lori and I were given a commemorative dog tag
and I received a challenge coin…
After the ceremony, Lori and I took a guided tour of ANC where we also observed the Changing Of The Guard at the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier…
We completed our day on hallowed ground and returned to Ft. Belvoir ever more appreciative of those military members, and their familiesn who have made the ultimate sacrifices throughout our nation’s martial history to preserve our freedoms.
I am the author of Raven Tales, a travel blog about living my dream of exploring the USA with my wife Lori and Raven, our Vivid Black 2019 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra. Our intentions are to inspire others to meet, enjoy, and archive the many people, venues, and activities that makes America exceptional!
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