BRATTLEBORO-The annual Memorial Day Service at American Legion Post 5 on May 26 may have seemed low-key compared to past years, but the sentiments of honoring the sacrifice of those who served their country shined bright.
"We need to be consistently reminded of our gift of freedom, and those who gave all to make sure future generations continue to know life in a free and democratic society," said Post 5 Chaplain Mike LeClaire at the start of the service.
However, LeClaire said that "remembering those who passed on is only half the task that's before us today."
"We must also carry their love, honor, and duty forward for future generations," he said. "Our children must know who they were, what they did, and why they did it. To do anything less would be a disservice."
Those who are gone, he said, "left us a clear pathway for us to continue on. We must never waver from that path of freedom and democracy. Take their memories, take their dreams, and walk forward shouldering the cause of freedom. Carry it high and proud as they did."
The keynote speaker was James Wall, commandant of Marine Corps League Detachment 798 of Brattleboro.
A veteran of the Vietnam War, he continued the theme of service and sacrifice, as he covered the sweep of the conflicts that Vermonters participated in, from the Green Mountain Boys in the Revolutionary War to a new generation who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan more than two centuries later.
He spoke of the Civil War, where Vermont sent more men per capita than any other state to "preserve the Union and enforce freedom for all Americans. Everyone."
An estimated 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers - more than 10 times the U.S. losses in Vietnam - lost their lives in that bloody conflict.
The huge loss of life on both sides was the impetus for what was first known as Decoration Day - the forerunner of today's Memorial Day - in 1868, a day set aside to honor the fallen with flowers on their graves.
The wars of the 20th century brought even more bloodshed and sacrifice on foreign soil, Wall said. He spoke of attending a May 14 graveside service for World War II veteran Richard Hamilton of Marlboro, who died on Feb. 19 at age 102 [story, this issue].
An Army Air Force radio operator and gunner on a B-17 bomber, Hamilton was shot down over Germany in July 1944 and spent 10 months as a prisoner of war. Wall spoke of the many hardships Hamilton faced, but he said his faith in God never wavered.
"He persevered. He held no malice for the enemy. He came home to Vermont and raised his family and had a productive life here," said Wall.
"You never forget someone like that. He's a shining example of the tenacity of the folks from Vermont who gave of themselves in the cause of freedom," he said. "He never forgot his country, and he never forgot his God."
Wall reminded the audience that 58,000 American men and women lost their lives in Vietnam, and that more than 7,000 Vermonters served in that war. He urged those attending to visit the Vermont Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the Sharon Welcome Center on Interstate 89.
Before you enter the Vietnam memorial, which lists the names of all who served and those who died in service to their country, you first pass by a memorial with the names and photos of the Vermonters who were killed in action during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Among those honored on that memorial is Kyle C. Gilbert of Brattleboro, who died on Aug. 6, 2003, during an attack on his unit in Baghdad, Iraq.
Wall said the unbroken line of Vermonters who fought for freedom - stretching 250 years from the capture of Fort Ticonderoga to the "Iron Triangle" of Baghdad, Ramadi, and Tikrit in the Iraq conflict - must not be forgotten, not on Memorial Day and not on any day.
He urged the audience to "remember, and remind the younger folks, what we do today and why we do it. Honor and respect those who serve in uniform today, and teach our younger folks to do the same."
The annual Memorial Day service was presented by American Legion Post 5, VFW Post 1034, and Marine Corps League Detachment 798. Brattleboro Scout Troop 405 led the service with the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Brattleboro American Legion Band performed a mini-concert of patriotic tunes.
Before the service, an honor guard comprised of members of the three veterans groups visited memorials and cemeteries around town to honor the fallen.
This News item by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.