20 years ago: Remembering the 'Faces of the Fallen'
Twenty years ago, on March 22, 2005, Christina and Yolanda Cuming of North White Plains remembered Pfc. Kevin Cuming, and looked at his portrait in a just-opened exhibit, "Faces of the Fallen." Carmen Palmer of Mount Vernon was there, too, to remember her son, Marine Cpl. Bernard Gooden. Chris Lagman from Yonkers was there for his brother, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman.
About 1,500 relatives of servicemen and servicewomen who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan came from across the country to remember. Some hoped to find those who might have known their sons in their final days.
"When this happened, I felt as if I was the only person going through this," Palmer said. "Now, I understand it's the whole United States."
She struck up a conversation with Zaida Walters from Houston, whose son was killed in Fallujah. They bonded instantly.
"It's not real," Palmer said, weeping. "Let's pray for the ones that are still there. I wish for no family to go through what I go through."
"We pray for you," Walters told Palmer.
"We are in a family together," Palmer replied. "We are one family, one heart."
The Journal News/lohud.com has been telling stories of the Lower Hudson Valley for generations. This regular column and photo feature takes a look back into our extensive archive. Reach Peter D. Kramer at pkramer@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 'Faces of the Fallen' exhibit unites families of Iraq War dead
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