Christmas light display honors a fallen soldier

These lights flicker for a fallen son.

Altogether they number nearly 30,000 — tiny bulbs of red, green, white and blue that flash in sync with a melody from two speakers. Stretched around a home, a garage and the lawn ornaments in between, they make this Rancho Cucamonga residence sparkle from two streets away.

But the heart of the display is a more understated affair. Up in the small second-floor bedroom window, a projector shows hundreds of photos of military personnel. Among the young faces is Cpl. Matthew Wallace Creed, a 23-year-old with smiling brown eyes who was killed four years ago by a sniper in Baghdad.

His parents own the house, and this spectacle of color and light shines for him. Matt joined the Army in 2003 in search of the kind of training that could help him get a job with the local police department. Rick and Kim Creed, both of whom had joined the Navy as teens, were uneasy about their eldest son's choice as the nation headed into war.

Read more: "Holiday decorations with a somber theme."

-- Corina Knoll

Photo: Kim and Rick Creed gaze at the Christmas display in front of their home in Rancho Cucamonga. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Maria Torres]

This was a beautiful testimony to your son. My son recently completed his Four Year contract in the Army. He debated wherther or not to re-enlist. I am thankful that he did not since his unit went to Afghanistan and has been hit twice by suicide bombers. His best friend is at a hospital in Palo Alto recovering from his injuries and my son is by his bed side. Thank you for your sons service to our Country and for my freedom.