In Eastport, window lights honor soldiers

EASTPORT – Brooke Clark was 5 when her dad was sent to Iraq as a soldier.

Even at that age, it wasn’t hard for the girl to understand the significance of a single electric candle that burned in the window at her grandmother’s house.

Today, she is 8 and her cousin Theodore “Teddy” Cummings of Perry is in Iraq, and that same candle continues to burn at Grandma Patti Craig’s home on Barren Street.

When Craig began her campaign 15 years ago to get people to put a single light in their windows, U.S. troops were in the Persian Gulf.

Now, the United States is in a different war under a different president.

Although Brooke may not understand those differences, she grasps the importance of the lights. “There’s another white light, Grammy” Craig said her granddaughter says as they travel Route 9 to Bangor.

But the grandmother and granddaughter are doing more than just burning a white light.

On Thursday, Brooke was helping her grandmother put a package together for Cummings.

Inside were packets of beef jerky, Cummings’ favorite snack, and on top a card with colorful flowers hand-drawn by Brooke. For Easter, Craig drew a picture of a big Easter egg, and Brooke said her cousin put the drawing over his bunk.

But the white lights mean the most to Craig and her granddaughter.

“I look every place I go,” Craig said last week. “There are a lot of them in Washington County. I start looking for them from the time I leave until I get back home. They just make me feel so good, and if it makes me feel good it’s got to make the soldiers and their families feel good.”

Craig’s light is always on; she replaces the bulb on occasion.

And Craig’s neighbors also have single white lights in their windows.

“These people have been burning their candles ever since we started. Some of these people have been so faithful. It’s just great,” she said. “There are many ways we support our troops, but the white light just makes my heart glow when I see it, such a warm feeling.”

Although the tradition has caught on nationally, Craig said she would like to see even more lights.

“It’s not in support of the war. It’s in support of our troops and their families. And I think it’s important that since they are over there we can at least support them over here,” she said.

The Eastport woman said she has extra candles and would happily give them to anyone who asked.