APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — A local pub in Apollo Beach left a table reserved to honor the U.S. service members who were killed in Afghanistan last week.
Terri Sherman, General Manager at Salty Shamrock, placed 13 beers on the table. She said the empty table should serve as a reminder that freedom comes at a cost.
"We put 13 beers down for each one of the fallen soldiers," she said. "I cried. I cried, I mean, that's all I could do is cry and it just breaks your heart."
Sherman has a son who is a retired Marine. She recalls worrying about her son as he served overseas.
"I'm a Marine mom. My son found on the frontlines in Afghanistan 10 years ago so I remember personally what it was like to wait for that knock on the door if something would happen," said Sherman.
"He graduated high school and went straight to boot camp and six months out of boot camp, they shipped him over to Afghanistan."
Sherman said she felt a similar fear over the weekend when Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana. Her son lives there with his wife and children. She said she did not hear from her son until Monday afternoon.
"He said 'mom, it reminds me of Afghanistan,' he said, 'there’s devastation everywhere.' They’re good. They’re safe, you know, they’re alive, but there’s no roof, there’s no food. Babies can’t get formula. There’s no gas and they’re telling him it could be anywhere from 6-8 weeks before his town gets electricity," said Sherman.
Sherman said the pub is collecting donations to take to Louisiana. They're collecting donations like baby supplies, formula, diapers, clothing, water, non-perishable food items, gloves, disposable masks and cleaning supplies.
The Fran Hausch Law Firm donated a box truck so they can take the supplies to Louisiana.
"We have a box truck out front and we are collecting donations all week long to send down to Gonzales which is northwest of New Orleans," said Sherman.
People may drop off donations at Salty Shamrock daily between 2 p.m.- 8 p.m.
