Veterans Killed By Train During Parade

NewsBreakerNov 16 '12

Host @DavidBegnaud delivers breaking news and today's trending buzz in 45 seconds. mywesttexas.com Midlanders gathered Friday morning to remember and mourn the victims of a tragic collision between a train and parade float Thursday that claimed the lives of four wounded soldiers. As the sun rose over Centennial Plaza in downtown Midland, hundreds of individuals bowed their heads and wiped away tears, many with flags in their hands. All of the wounded soldiers honored in Thursday’s Show of Support events, as well as those who died, were from out of town, but the tragedy weighed heavily on the hearts on Tall City citizens, said Mayor Wes Perry. “In my opinion this is maybe the most tragic event Midland has ever experienced, and the only thing I know to do is to gather together, be together like family as we are family, and to support each other, support those that lost their lives and support their families,” he said. “We will be stronger on the other side once we get through this.” Perry remembered a luncheon earlier Thursday at the Commemorative Air Force where he met each wounded warrior to be honored in this weekend’s Hunt for Heroes event and handed them keys to the city. Show of Support honorees have been the only ones in the past to receive that recognition, Perry said. “It was incredibly joyous and exciting; they were blown away by the love and the care that we were showing for them, the community; they don’t typically get that kind of treatment; Midland and West Texas is all about that,” Perry said. The ninth annual event has become a tradition for West Texans, and Perry asked event organizers, including Show of Support Founder Terry Johnson, be remembered in prayers. “I’ve been involved with (Johnson) for a few years now and this is the love of his life and he is struggling,” Perry said. After moments of silence for each fallen soldier, The Rev. Roy Smith of True Lite Christian Fellowship and Pastor Patrick Payton of Stonegate Fellowship led the crowd in prayer. “It’s in times like these that we are reminded of our mutual desperation before you,” Payton said, asking God for grace, mercy and peace. Some of the wounded warriors were able to administer help to their fallen comrades after the accident, Perry said, though they asked that their names not be mentioned. “In this city of Midland yesterday, in the midst of tragedy, we got to see soldiers behave as they were trained,” Smith said. “They were trained to respond to catastrophe to the need of their comrades. Without being named, they stepped to the plate.” Those being honored Thursday were already heroes in Midlanders’ eyes, Smith said, and the character they showed in responding to that evening’s tragic events only further instilled that image. “They won’t stop being our heroes, but this tragedy has even more so developed the concept in our hearts and in our minds that they are large to us,” Smith said. “They’re bigger heroes today than they were yesterday.”