Warrior Weekend stirs memories of local veteran’s fallen comrades

By Emily Williams
On his birthday May 20, Iraqi War veteran Ben McCarty of Batesville stood amid a field of more than 3,000 American flags placed in remembrance of American servicemen and women who died in the line of duty in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
McCarty and his wife, Angela, were attending the Warrior’s Weekend, an annual fishing retreat for wounded military personnel held in Port O’Connor, near Victoria, on the Texas Gulf Coast.
McCarty, a former National Guardsman, had been seriously injured 11 years ago to the day, on his birthday, in Iraq in 2005 when the vehicle in which he was riding struck an IED. (He later received the Purple Heart.)
The Warrior Weekend drew participants from military installations around the country, as well as veterans like McCarty.  In addition to the deep sea fishing, they were treated to a dinner with music and addresses by some of the attendees.
An artist, Gloria Fric, had worked around the clock to create a massive sand sculpture paying tribute to those who serve in the Armed Forces.
The Warrior Weekend Field of Honor stretched across a green lawn, with row after row of American flags, each labeled with the name of a soldier, sailor or Marine and the date of his or her death.
Walking through that flag display, McCarty and his wife discovered one placed in memory of his friend Daron Lunsford, also of Batesville, with whom he’d served.
Lunsford died in Iraq May 23, 2005, three days after McCarty was injured.
McCarty had received treatment in Germany and returned home 11 days after the explosion, in time to attend Lunsford’s funeral.
The plaque near Lunsford’s flag reads “ Lunsford, Audrey Daron, 29, Sergeant, U.S. Army National Guard, 23-May-2005.”
“You could feel the energy from all the veterans looking for their fallen brothers,” Mrs. McCarty told The Panolian this week.
“Something in the air felt different as you walked through the flags and looked at the names. We had no clue they had the memorial and a volunteer told us that we would be able to find the name of any solider who had given the ultimate sacrifice while serving.”
The McCartys also located a flag placed in honor of Brandon Presley, also of Batesville.
His plaque reads, “Presley, Michael B., 21, Corporal, U.S. Marine, 14-Dec-2005.”
“It was touching to know that Daron Lunsford and Brandon Presley are honored every day for the sacrifice that they made for our country. Walking through the flags of all the soldiers who lost their lives was emotional and somewhat spiritual, but we were honored to be invited to Victoria, Texas and to be able to experience that. I want their families to know they are honored and thought of every day,” Mrs. McClarty said.
The couple did not deny both wept that day.
As a Wounded Warrior, Ben was asked to sign a flag that flies over the Field of Honor to also honor those who were injured in combat.

(Editor’s Note: In addition to Lunsford and Presley, Panola has lost two other men in the wars of the 21st Century: Damian L. Heidelberg in Iraq and David Holmes in Afghanistan.)