The portrait of a young man wearing a service uniform hangs on the dusty wall above a window, within the tiny barber shop off Highway 42 in Clayton County, Georgia. It was not the first time the photograph was noticed and discussed, but perhaps because it was Memorial Day weekend, the compulsion to find out more became present, as the old barber, a Coastie vet from a different era, was asked about it yesterday... The young man, Army Private First Class Robert Worthington, was just 19 years old when he was killed inside his military vehicle by an explosive device in a region north of Baghdad on May 22, 2007. The old barber, who for a while cut the young mans hair, mentioned Robert had previously been wounded and sent to Germany, returning to his unit in Iraq where he ultimately met his demise. It is true that Robert did not live beyond his teenage years. And most would handily say what he had experienced during his short existence, was more than most in Western society will ever be able to comprehend first-hand within a lifetime. An online project for fallen troops mentions Robert has being rah-rah patriotic, having conversations with his father, growing closer to his sister after the divorce of their parents, and desiring to spend time with his sisters daughter--his infant niece. Yet the sorrow of a comrade is also seen in a response below the online piece. I’m sorry I didn’t let you borrow my CD’s, the comrade laments. I’m sorry I didn’t answer the phone. I’m sorry I didn’t call you back... As the barber shop emptied out, the old barber sat in a rocking chair next to a window. He opened up a bit more, describing Robert with greater doses of reality. He was restless, fidgety and anxious on his first visit to the barber shop as a younger teenager and afterwards. He lived with his grandfather in a declining Clayton County for a while after the divorce. He loved his family but admittingly had a tempestuous relationship with his dad. And yes, he adored his young niece, whose image was adorned within a fictitious U.S. currency bill, taped on the barbers mirror. As the old barber described, Robert was very much like many young men: Men fearful of their flaws and inner insecurities being brought out into the open; wounded and hardened before the wars and the battlefields, by the sins and grievances of parents and the fallen state of Man; young men reminded and told to hold those emotions, Boy. Keep em in check... The Coastie veteran, a Christian of the charismatic persuasion, tears up as he describes Robert and the aftermath of his death. I regret I never had the Jesus talk with him, he said. Robert Worthington came home and was buried in an old church cemetery behind the Rock Baptist Church, about a mile down the road from the barber shop. Gravel, flags, and other intimate items furbish his grave. Next to his dark tombstone is the tombstone of his mother, readied for her final day of reckoning when it arrives. Piercingly to the bereaved, more of Roberts remains were discovered inside his destroyed vehicle when it was later brought back to the states. It is said that a local law enforcement/police department actually proposed exhuming Roberts grave and having an elaborate ceremony reuniting and then burying the remains together. Roberts mother would have none of that mess, and had the newly found remains cremated. She had carried Robert inside in her womb, had nurtured him and buried him, and she would join beside him in the grave... That is Memorial Day.
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 00:45:50 +0000
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