A mother’s day on Memorial Day
Cindy Kruger of Villa Rica expects to spend Memorial Day breakfasting at the White House with President Barack Obama and other dignitaries.
Afterward, she will spend time with with family in Washington, D.C.
Kruger will drive to Arlington National Cemetery and walk through the perfect symmetry of aligned, white marble headstones to section 60, grave 8060. That is the resting place of her son, Sgt. Michael C. Hardegree, killed in 2007 in Iraq.
His body lies there rather than home in Georgia because of a tough conversation he had with his mom before shipping out.
Kruger — a national officer in the Gold Star Mothers of America, a service organization of women who have lost a child serving in the armed forces — shares her story today with Atlanta-Journal Constitution readers. Find it on the front of the Living section.
About the Author
Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia's $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.
