special was happening. More than 200 motorcycles lined the drive of the building, each rider

carrying an American flag.Those bikers, called the Patriot Guard Riders, were there to honor

the 198 men and women from Florida who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart asked the PGR to form a flag line around the museum for the unveiling

of a portrait mural at the Air Force Armament Museum.The Afghanistan Iraq War Memorial

Portrait Mural was organized by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to honor those killed in action.

Michelle Griffin, widow of Staff Sgt. Patrick L. Griffin Jr., attended the ceremony with their two children. The

sergeant was assigned with the 728th Air Control Squadron at Eglin and was killed while deployed to Iraq in 2003.

The 728th Air Control Squadron deployed to Iraq for the fifth time just hours before the memorial ceremony.

The Patriot Guard Riders escorted the Griffin family from their Crestview home to the ceremony.

“I can’t find words to describe what it’s like to see all those bikes out there and to have all of these hardcore looking

guys come up, chins just a trembling, and thanking me,” said Griffin. The families of six other servicemembers

from the Florida Panhandle who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan attended the ceremony.

Bill Everett, Region 4 chief of staff and commander of Chapter No. 566 Military Order of the Purple Heart,

said that when he returned from Vietnam he wasn’t treated very well. So, he said, “I vowed that if I ever got in

the position, or had to opportunity to where I could honor fallen veterans, I would do it.”

Everett and Phil Darbonne wanted a way to honor those killed in action with more than just a name on a wall.

“It’s important that you see the youngsters who have given their lives for this country,” said Everett.

“Everybody should see what it looks like, not a name anymore, but a face and a picture.”

This is the first portrait memorial mural in the United States. “Eglin is both humbled and honored

by this opportunity to host the permanent home of this Florida tribute,” said Col. Eric Pohland, 96th Air Base Wing

commander. By the end of 2008, the MOPH anticipates each state will have a mural

to honor its fallen military members. Darbonne created and designed the mural that is now mounted to a wall

inside the museum. This mural is made of 440 ceramic tiles and is 16 feet, 5 inches wide by 4

feet tall, but it could become larger. It’s separated into panels, so each year those killed in action can be added to

another panel. “Every one of these kids has a story,” said Darbonne. “Hopefully, with

the photos it will help trigger somebody to look at them.”A picture of each servicemember

killed in Afghanistan or Iraqi has been burned onto individual ceramic tiles. Choking back tears and holding

one of the tiles, Darbonne said, “What makes this special is the 198 kids that got brought home.”

Liane McCall cried as she rubbed her hand over a smooth tile showing the face of the grandson, Army Sgt.

Daniel McCall. She and her husband, Marvin, placed his tile on the mural. Daniel, a Pace High School graduate,

was killed in Iraq on Oct. 30. For Griffin, it’s been nearly five years since her husband’s death and

she’s gratified to know he is remembered. The ceremony “shows that his death has not gone unnoticed; our sacrifices

as a family has not gone unnoticed and the sacrifices of those other families sitting out there,” she said.