Dear Colleague,
Sometimes it's easy to forget that Memorial Day weekend isn't about grilling hot dogs, opening day at the neighborhood pool, and settling in front of the TV to watch a baseball game or the Indy 500.
Those things may be part of your family's Memorial Day tradition, and you should enjoy them. But please take a little time over the next few days to remember what Memorial Day is all about. Here's a story to remind you.
NCPA President Brian Caswell lives in a small town in the southeastern corner of Kansas. Baxter Springs may be a lot like the town you live in. There are less than 5,000 people in town. Folks are friendly. They gather at the post office, the pharmacy, the grocery store and church to chat and pass the time.
Brian spent a lot of his youth in Baxter Springs. At church, he got to know the Heavin family. They were good people, a hard-working family with a strong faith. He was especially close to Herbie Heavin, a World War II vet that everyone called "The Gum Man" because he always gave away sticks of Wrigley gum.
The Heavin family often spoke of their brother, Hadley. Hadley was one of 106 crew members who died aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941. At first, the family didn't believe that Hadley had perished at Pearl Harbor. They believed he had survived and was in a hospital somewhere. His body hadn't been recovered. But weeks turned into months, and then years, and the Heavins had to accept that Hadley was gone even though his remains were never found.
A few years ago, the Navy contacted the Heavin family. DNA technology gave them the ability to identify long-held remains. One of the brothers sent a DNA sample, and the Heavins were notified that Hadley had been positively identified. After almost 79 years, he would be able to come home and be laid to rest beside his brother Herbie, the Gum Man.
It was September 2020, and the Navy didn't want to do all the things they normally do in a situation like this. No military escorts on the plane and to the cemetery. No pomp and circumstance. Because the country was in the midst of a pandemic, it looked like Hadley's homecoming would be a low-key event.
But the citizens of Baxter Springs had other plans. Brian and others in town got on the phone. They were insistent and persistent. They got a small military flyover. He deserved that, they said.
Brian didn't want to talk about the role he played. Too modest. But I'm not. After helping line up the military flyover, he contacted local news outlets who covered the parade. He even spurred a letter from President Trump to the family and got Gov. Laura Kelly to attend the service. I say this all the time, community pharmacies make the communities around them a better place to live. This is one more example.
And Baxter Springs turned out, for a man no one remembered, but a native son who gave his life for his country. For their country.
As Hadley's remains traveled from First Christian Church to Baxter Springs Cemetery, the town lined the streets, flags waving, for more than two miles.
This weekend, remember to say thank you to Hadley and all the brave ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Best,
B. Douglas Hoey, Pharmacist, MBA
NCPA CEO
