CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — With the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks nearing, tributes are planned across the nation, one of which will honor a West Michigan hometown hero, who volunteered to serve in the years that followed and would go on to pay the ultimate price.
Specialist Timothy Brown was killed in the line of duty in 2005. We met a group of his loved ones in Cedar Springs Monday at the site of a memorial erected in his honor to discuss Timothy’s legacy and the tribute he’s set to receive Friday.
“As soon as they step out, it's military uniforms and I—you know, I just told them,” Cynthia Brown recalled as she fought back tears. “I just told them, please don't say it. Don't say it."
What began as a beautiful day in late fall, complete with an otherwise peaceful fall walk for Cynthia Brown would soon take a turn. Waiting in the family’s driveway was a waking nightmare that would redefine their lives.
“Our lives fell apart. Our lives changed and it was never the same,” she went on, seated beside her husband, daughter and other loved ones atop a roadside park bench in Cedar Springs. “It seemed very surreal to me. Because it's like, you see it so much like on TV and you would never expect that's going to happen to your family.”
Timothy, family members said, couldn’t wait to wear the uniform. He would enlist soon after high school.
“Eight years old, he was going to join the military,” Brown’s parents mused.
Once in uniform, Specialist Brown was deployed to the Mid-East in 2005 following a stint in boot camp. He would be gone – killed in action – before the year was out.
“Our goal is to never forget the fallen soldiers that fought and died for our freedom,” Tom Antor related. “That includes Timothy Brown's family this year.”
Antor, a Kent County commissioner, is the founder of ‘Finish the Mission Veteran Relief Fund,’ a non-profit focused on delivering needed support and furnishing the recognition service members earn while in the line of duty.
“It's really important to know that most college graduates weren't even alive on 9/11,” Antor noted, suggesting the experience could prove a worthy lesson for those who lack that lived-experience, who only learned of the attack and subsequent conflicts secondhand. “All this freedom in the United States, but it came at a cost. And this is the cost of our freedom. This is a teachable moment.”
The group’s ninth annual 'Freedom Cruise' promises to bring the message home, honoring the fallen Michigan National Guardsman with a portrait ceremony and a procession from Cedar Springs High School, Brown’s alma mater.
The event, complete with an Honor Ride escort, in which first-responders, veterans and fellow gold star families will take part.
“These parents have to suffer with this pretty much every day for the rest of their lives,” Antor explained. “They lost their sons when they were in their prime, they just got out of high school and they went and fought and died for us. We can't allow them to be forgotten.”
“It's ripping the scab open, and we're looking forward to it, but not at same time,” Brown’s father related. “It's hard.”
Nor have the years eased their pain. Their feelings surrounding Timothy’s loss, family members said, remained a scab they believed would never quite heal.
They honor his life and legacy at every opportunity.
“Just don't forget,” Cynthia admonished. “Just honor and remember.”
Remember that their son and brother was more than a name carved in stone, but someone who hoped and dreamed, served and sacrificed. Someone with a story yet to be told. A story deserving of remembrance.
“it's not about us. It's about Timmy and all of the other ones,” she related as Stevie, Timothy’s sister continued. “We never forget.. because once you forget, they're gone.”
The tribute will begin promptly at 1:00 Friday afternoon at Cedar Springs High School.
Guests are asked to arrive early. The event is open to the public and free of charge, though donations, benefiting veterans in need, are encouraged.
More information can be found on the Finish the Mission website.
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