Memorial Day speaker offers encouragement to continue to honor a debt that can never be repaid

Robert Van Wormer drove his screwdriver into the hard ground at Oakview (Maplewood) Cemetery; in the hole it left, he placed a small U.S. flag.

Van Wormer, a member of Mount Olive VFW Post 9959, stood up, took a few paces from the headstone and snapped a salute to a brethren Vietnam veteran buried there.

It was Saturday morning and Van Wormer, his wife Sandra, and other volunteers were busy placing flags on the graves of veterans ahead of Sunday’s annual Memorial Day observance and Memorial Day on Monday.

Sunday, the Van Wormers were among the about 40 people who attended the annual observance sponsored by Mount Olive VFW Post 9959 held near the flagpole in Oakview (Maplewood) Cemetery.

The observance included patriotic music by Steve Jones, a traditional wreath-laying ceremony led by Post Commander James Benson and Auxiliary President Violet Saviak, the pledge of allegiance, the playing of taps and lowering the flag to half-staff by post members Ray Harrell and Ron Hatch.

Benson welcomed the audience, made up mostly of veterans and their families, to the annual observance of fallen comrades thanking them for allowing us to have the freedom we have “in this great country that we live in.”

“Sometimes we don’t think it is so great, but it is,” he said. “Talk to other people from other countries, you will find out that we still live in the greatest country on earth.”

“For many Americans the last Monday in May marks what we unofficially think of as summer time,” said Post 9959 member and retired U.S. Army Col. Kenneth Sullivan, guest speaker for Sunday’s ceremony. “It’s usually a long weekend with family and friends, barbecuing. But this day was designed to commemorate the brave men and women who died while fighting America’s wars.

“At the core of our military we have some unique things. Selfless service is one of them. The willingness to sacrifice to defend our nation is another.”

All people have to do to understand selfless service it to read their Bible because Jesus was selfless service, he added.

All of the books written on selfless service and how to lead are all plagiarized from the Bible — that is where they got their ideas, Sullivan continued.

Memorial Day originated following the Civil War, about 160 years ago, and was originally called Decoration Day, he explained.

“It was to decorate the graves of both the Northern and Southern sides after the war was over,” he said. “But over the years the name has changed, but the intent to honor those who gave their life is still the same. It is a day we take a moment to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is a day of grief — especially if it is a recent death.

“But it is a day of celebration because the men died for ideals that reflect our country. Harry Truman, when he was president, said, ‘Our debt to these heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They earn our undying gratitude and 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 said he always says never use the word never because people will forget if the memory of veterans who died in the service of their country are not kept alive.

The respect people pay to those veterans is a tribute to their memories and the lives that they lived, he said.

“We do this by placing flags among tombstones, wreaths and celebrations to honor those in certain communities,” Sullivan said. “But to truly honor them, we have got to keep their stories alive.”

It does not matter where their battlefield was — the stories of the fallen matter, and they need to be told, he said.

“They will forever be our brothers and sisters,” Sullivan said. “It is interesting how we protect their memory.”

Sullivan said that while serving in Iraq they were closing down a base where a wall had been built to ward off rocket attacks. On the inside of the wall was written the names of 7,000 people who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before leaving the wall was painted and then blown up so that the enemy could not use it for propaganda, Sullivan said.

“We were protecting their memory,” he said. “By sharing stories like that we keep their memories alive and give a glimpse of military service to others that aims to inspire them and create a better world, a stronger nation and a kinder community in which we each live.

“It is up to us to use the gifts secured by those died and to do as much good as possible to honor a debt that can never be repaid. So each little thing we do has a chance to have a long-lasting effect on many families throughout our country.”

Sullivan continued, “On Memorial Day we reflect and share experiences of these fallen loved one, but tomorrow and in the days that follow we must act to uphold that memory and to do the things that we need to do to keep our country strong.

“Let us carry this sacrifice in our hearts and strive to honor their memory by being good and faithful, hopeful and strong and committed to building a brighter future for all of us in this country.”

Veterans are a unique segment of American society, he added. They come from all walks of life; from big cities and small towns; some educated, some uneducated, he said.

“But we go into this great melting pot, and we become veterans,” Sullivan said. “But to understand us, and why we put our lives on the line, you have got to know a few things about us. We left home as teenagers or in our early 20s for an adventure that he had no idea where it was going to take us.”

Sometimes is started with a letter, he said, making reference to the draft of years gone by.

“We loved our country enough to defend it and to protect it with our own lives,” he added. “When we left we said goodbye to our friends, family and everything we knew.”

They went to basic training and then were scattered to the wind to the far corners of the earth, he said.

“We found new friends and made a new family,” Sullivan said. “We became brothers and sisters, regardless of color, race or creed. We had plenty of good times and some bad times. We didn’t get enough sleep.”

Some smoked and drank too much or learned to do so if they hadn’t before, he said. They picked up good and bad habits; worked hard, but played harder, Sullivan added.

There was the joy of mail call while away from home and the sadness of missing events like birthdays and graduations, Sullivan said.

“We didn’t know when or even if we were going to see our home again,” he continued. “We grew up fast, yet somehow we never grew up at all. We fought for our freedom as well as the freedom of others.”

Some saw combat, while others didn’t; some saw the world, while others didn’t; some dealt with physical warfare, he said.

But most have dealt with some form of psychological warfare or memories carried with them every day, Sullivan added.

“We have seen, experienced and dealt with things we can’t fully explain to people who have never been there,” he said. “But not all of our sacrifices were physical. We participated in ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie with each other.

“We counted on each other to get our job done, and sometimes we counted on each other to survive what we were put into. We have dealt with victory, and we have dealt with tragedy. We have celebrated, and we have mourned and along the way we lost a few of our good friends.”

Once their adventures were over some went back home and started over with a new job or new career – some never came home at all, he said.

Veterans have told amazing and hilarious stories of their exploits and adventures, he said.

Sullivan joked that when talking to a veteran that a good story only has to be 5% true.

Veterans share an unspoken bond with each other that most people don’t experience and that very few will understand, he said.

Veterans speak highly of their respective branch of service while poking fun at each other, but like brothers in a family, when the chips are down veterans will stand for each other, Sullivan said.

Being a veteran is something that has to be earned and can never be taken away, he said.

It has no monetary value, but at the same time being a veteran is a priceless gift, Sullivan added.

Sullivan quoted Union Gen. John Logan: “Never let greed or neglect or memories faded by time testify to the present generation that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

He added, “Duty, honor, country. They lived it and all of us veterans, we have lived it. They died for it, and as a nation we must remind ourselves of the future that they fought for and do our best to live up to those values in the days ahead and uphold those values and keep our nation strong.”