Warren G. Harding Presidential Wreath Laying Ceremony

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Corey Beal | Army Reserve Brig. Gen. R.A. Bassford, deputy commanding general of the 88th Regional Support Command, renders honors to Warren G. Harding during a Presidential Wreath Laying Ceremony at his memorial in Marion, Ohio, July 19, 2014.  

MARION, OH, UNITED STATES

07.19.2014

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Corey Beal 

88th Readiness Division

MARION, Ohio – The life of President Warren G. Harding was celebrated during a wreath laying ceremony at his memorial site in Marion, Ohio, July 19, 2014.

Army Reserve Brig. Gen. R.A. Bassford, deputy commanding general of the 88th Regional Support Command, officiated the ceremony on behalf of President Barrack Obama and laid a wreath in his stead.

Attending the event in honor of the nation’s 29th president were members of the Harding Family, local community and history enthusiasts. During his remarks, Bassford spoke of President Harding’s contributions and his acts to keep faith with America’s Veterans.

“The son of a Civil War veteran and the first U.S. president to take office after World War I, President Harding understood and appreciated and the sacrifices endured by America’s Veterans,” said Bassford.

“The 1920s were an extremely difficult time in America’s history,” said Bassford. “America was still in a state of shock from its involvement in World War I. At the same time our veterans were returning home to seek jobs only to find factories were laying off workers to adjust to post-war decline in production. Unemployment was high, costs were rising, and the federal government faced significant debt.”

Bassford continued, “During that time, veterans were simply discharged from military service and sent home if they no longer required hospitalization for their injuries. Harding sought to change this and ensure the medical care of veterans through the founding of the Veteran’s Bureau.”

In an address made on August 28th, 1920, President Harding said, “I must speak of the services of the men and women who rallied to the colors of the Republic in the World War.

America realizes and appreciates the services rendered, the sacrifices made, and the suffering endured.

There shall be no distinction between those who knew the perils and glories of the battlefront or the dangers of sea, and those who were compelled to serve behind the lines, or those who constituted the great reserve of the grand army which awaited the call in camps at home.

All were brave. All were self-sacrificing. All were sharers of those ideals which sent our boys thrice armed to war.”

Harding continued, “It’s not only a duty – it’s a privilege to see that the sacrifices made shall be requited, and that those still suffering from casualties and disabilities shall be abundantly aided and restored to the highest capabilities of citizenship and its enjoyments.”

• Date Taken: 07.19.2014
• Date Posted: 07.21.2014 12:53
• Story ID: 136767
• Location: MARION, OH, US