Least we forget: Memorial Day ceremony honors a debt that can never be repaid

The stories of America’s fallen warriors matter regardless of where their battlefield was — the skies over Europe, the islands of the Pacific, the jungles of Vietnam, the mountains or deserts of Iraq or Afghanistan or the frozen terrain of Korea, retired Army Col. Kenneth Sullivan said.

And Memorial Day is a time to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country, continued Sullivan, speaker for the Sunday, May 28, Memorial Day ceremony sponsored by Mount Olive VFW Post 9959.

“By sharing their stories we keep their memories alive and give others a glimpse of military service that aims to inspire them to create a better world, a stronger nation and a kinder community,” Sullivan said. “It is up to us to use the gifts secured by those who made that ultimate sacrifice to do as much good as possible and honor a debt that can never be repaid.

“On Memorial Day we reflect. We share experiences of our loved ones, but tomorrow and the days that follow we must act, not just sit on the sidelines. Let us carry their sacrifice in our hearts and strive to honor their memory by being good and faithful, good and strong and committed to building a brighter future for the United States of America.”

Sunday’s on-again, off-again rain forced the ceremony to be moved from Maplewood Cemetery to inside the VFW Post 9959 building on North Church Street.

The weather also delayed the traditional wreath laying and the lowering of the U.S. flag to half staff until noon Monday at Maplewood Cemetery.

Post Commander Jimmie Outlaw gave the welcome and Veronica St. Louis sang the National Anthem.

“This year the VFW Auxiliary started a new program to honor our youth from ages elementary through high school called ‘Red, White and Blue,’” said Post 9959 Auxiliary President Violet Saviak. “What they did was to record themselves singing the National Anthem.”

The local post was very fortunate to have two young ladies to enter the competition, Saviak said. One was an 8-year-old elementary school student, she continued.

“Today with have with us Veronica St. Louis who is a 10th-grader,” Saviak said. “She won for the high school age. We will be finding out in a couple of weeks how she did on the state level.”

Following her performance, Sullivan told Veronica that as a former battalion commander he used to have a coin he handed out.

“I don’t have any coins, but I am going to give you my American flag,” Sullivan said as he unpinned the flag from his lapel and handed it to Veronica. “The National Anthem is one of the hardest songs to sing.”

Both Sullivan and the Rev. John Moore, Post 9959 chaplain, touched on the true reason for the holiday.

“Before I pray, I just want to make a quick statement about Memorial Day,” Moore said. “Memorial Day has come to mean the start of summer, a time for picnics and barbecues, a holiday to gather around the family.

“That happiness and freedom, however, the real cause of the holiday is sacrifices of the men and women who fought and died for the freedoms and liberties that we, as Americans, hold dear.”

Memorial Day is a time to remember that the American way of life is not cheap, but rather is purchased by the lives and blood of many who have sacrificed for us to live free today, Moore added.

Sullivan joked that Moore must have been reading his comments because he was going to say some of the same things.

“But that is OK,” he said. “This weekend for many Americans, the last Monday in May, is the unofficial start of summer. We start thinking beaches and barbecues, long weekends.

“But for those of us who served in the military, it holds a different significance. It commemorates the brave men and women who lost their lives defending our nation. At the core of our military are two unique things — the selfless desire to serve and the willingness to sacrifice to defend our nation.”

To some when they were younger it was seeking adventure as well — something that cannot be counted out, he added.

Sullivan said that some of the veterans in the room had received that “special letter” that they had been selected, or drafted, for service.

That is no longer done, he said, to which one audience member said it should be.

Memorial Day was first observed about 155 years ago and was called “Decoration Day,” Sullivan said.

Its purpose was to beautify the graves of those who lost their lives during the Civil War, he added.

Over the years the name changed, but its ideals and intention have not, Sullivan continued.

“It is a day we should take a moment to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country,” he said. “Memorial Day is a day for both grief and celebration. It reflects the tragic loss of life and we count the courageousness of service.

“President Harry Truman addressed the Armed Forces after President Roosevelt died, still in World War II. Speaking to the military, he said, ‘Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices. Because of these sacrifices the dawn of justice and freedom throughout the world slowly casts its gleam across the horizon.”

Sullivan noted that a cemetery on Ann Street in Beaufort has graves of service members dating from the Revolutionary War to the present.

It is a neat place to go to remember those fallen, he said.

“We have great respect for those who have fallen in the defense of our nation,” Sullivan said. “But we also do these things by visiting their gravesites, placing flags and wreaths on memorials in our community.

“But their final resting place should not be the only space we gather. We should sit and share memories or sit in quiet contemplation. To truly honor their lives we must share their stories with others to ensure their memories live on even though they are gone.”

Sullivan said he wanted to switch to a different kind of memory.

He said he wanted to talk about a key member of a veteran’s life — the NCO or non-commissioned officer.

They are the backbone of the U.S. Armed Services, he said.

“These NCOs, they trained us, they led us and saved many of our lives,” Sullivan said. “Also, many of them gave their lives for our nation.”

Sullivan said he arrived at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in February 1983 as a basic trainee.

Sullivan noted that he had a college degree, but did not know what he wanted to do so he enlisted in the Army.

Enlisting with a degree is “fairly rare,” he added.

“I stepped off this shabby bus and the first face I saw was contorted with rage,” he said. “Screams were coming from his lungs. Spit flying out of his mouth. I will never forget Sgt. 1st Class Jesse Juarez.”

Sullivan said that at that point he seriously questioned the wisdom of joining the Army.

When he returned to Fort Knox eight years later as a captain, Juarez was the training NCO for the drill sergeant academy at the base.

Sullivan said he spoke to Juarez who was his honored guest at hist first change of command.

Juarez left an indelible imprint on his life forever, Sullivan added.

“Many of you have similar memories of NCOs that touched your lives in various ways,” he said. “Those NCOs are the heart and soul of our military.

“Those strong NCOs are the reason many of you are here today to honor those we lost.”

In 1885 Maj. Gen. John A. Logan got the idea of Decoration Day started, Sullivan said.

Paraphrasing Logan, Sullivan said, “Never let greed or neglect or memories faded by time testify to the present or the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

Sullivan closed by saying, “Duty, honor, country — they lived for it, and they died for it. As a nation we must remind ourselves of the future they fought for and do our best to live up to those values in the days of our lives.”