One of my favorite songs performed by my church's choir is one called, "Little Wooden Church." It's the type of song that church members of an older generation would call an old-fashioned spiritual, telling a story of celebration and rejoicing in spite of having precious few material possessions.

Singing lead on the song is Sister Emma Jennings, someone who knows a great deal about giving praise in times of adversity. Seeing her perform week after week, with a smile on her face, reminds me of everything that I have to be thankful for. Mrs. Jennings is the grandmother of Darius Jennings, an Orangeburg area soldier killed in action while serving in Iraq. This past November marked five years since his death in a helicopter crash.

I never knew Specialist Jennings, but I have learned that our paths have crossed or paralleled many times. Beyond our families attending the same church, we both chose to join the U.S. Army. Darius found a place in the regular Army, while I decided to be a part of the Army Reserve. We were both deployed to Iraq at around the same time. It was there where I learned of his death through a rare opportunity to log on to The Times and Democrat's Web site.

Darius was on that Chinook cargo helicopter because he was granted a few weeks of leave time from the conflict area. He was on his way home, to see his family. I was offered the same type of trip, but declined to take advantage of it. Not that I didn't miss or want to see my family, I just could not imagine being home for any number of days and having to return to life in a war zone.

Since those fateful days in Iraq, I've come to know his mom, Elaine Johnson, through her endeavors as an anti-war activist. Before she became a Gold Star Mother, Mrs. Johnson and I had a chance encounter when her daughter, Latrise, signed a letter of intent to join the Allen University track team. I photographed the event in November 2002 and remember Mrs. Johnson as a mother who was proud of her children's accomplishments. None of us could have imagined that, 12 months later, one of her children would be gone.

For the family of Specialist Darius Jennings, Memorial Day is more than a three-day weekend. It's a time to remember all the good things about him. For the general public, Memorial Day is a time to not only honor what heroes like Specialist Jennings have done for this country, but we should also acknowledge the sacrifices that the loved ones of the fallen have endured. These families are left to deal with the loss in their own way. Some, like Mrs. Johnson, take up an active role in trying to prevent other mothers from feeling what she is feeling. Others, like Sister Jennings, chose to give praise in the face of adversity by singing her song. I hope she continues to sing her song.

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T&D Chief Photographer Larry Hardy can be reached at lhardy@timesanddemocrat.com and 803-533-5541. Discuss this and other stories online at www.TheTandD.com.

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