Paid for by Citizens for Colburn Committee. Authority John W. Phillips, Jr., Treasurer

Trappe recognizes local servicemen
Veteran speaks on power of prayer for soldiers
By CHRISTINE NEFF
Staff Writer - Star Democrat
May 19, 2005

TRAPPE — Retired Chief Warrant Officer Roger Weaver of Ellicott City first learned the power of prayer in Vietnam.

Weaver, then 25, was in combat when his wife gave birth to a baby girl. After that, the young aviator had just one thing on his mind: “I wanted to get home and see my daughter, so that’s what I prayed for,” he said.

Weaver said prayer got him through many missions in his 37-year military career.

In El Salvador, in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, he and his crew prayed before flying dangerous night missions. “Before every mission, our crews would gather together outside the helicopter and pray for safety and courage to do what we did,” he said.

Weaver spoke to a crowd of veterans and families of soldiers now overseas at a country breakfast held Saturday morning at Trappe United Methodist Church. He encouraged residents to pray for soldiers’ safety and inner peace.

The small community of just more than 1,100 people has a number of “sons” that have served or are now deployed in Iraq, including Lance Cpl. Kevin Wheeler, son of Leslie and Henry “Bird Dog” Wheeler; Lance Cpl. Steven Walls, son of LouAnn Quigley and grandson of Lois Casson and Lance Cpl. Richard Baker IV, son of Trudy Baker.

LouAnn Quigley, whose son will be deployed again this August, said she spoke to him regularly when he was in Iraq for seven months last year. “He calls his wife more, of course,” she said, laughing.

Quigley of Bethany Beach, Del., said the breakfast message was touching. “It helps to remind us all to be thankful.”

Trudy Baker, whose son left for Iraq on March 1, has a big, family support system in Easton and Trappe to help her cope while her son is overseas. Along with Trudy, five members of the Baker family attended the breakfast — Richard’s sister, Lacey, grandmother, Charlotte, uncle, Bryan and godmother, Kathy.

Of the breakfast, Trudy said, “It’s nice to meet other folks in Trappe who have family serving overseas.”

At the breakfast, Del. Addie Eckardt, R-37B-Dorchester, told families they needed to be supportive of soldiers coming home and encourage them to talk about their experiences in war. Eckardt has two sons currently serving in the U.S. Navy.

“We all know that freedom is indeed not free,” said state Sen. Richard Colburn, R-Mid-Shore. “It’s unfortunate, but a fact of life that we have to have men and women overseas in combat.”

Colburn told the crowd to remember their veterans. “A nation that forgets its veterans will itself one day be forgotten,” he said.