Warren G. Harding presidential wreath laying ceremony

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Corey Beal | Brig. Gen. R.A. Bassford (right) and Chaplain Charles Bechtold (left) of the 88th Regional Support Command present honors as Sgt. Luke Washburn of the 338th Army Band, performs taps during the Warren G. Harding presidential wreath laying ceremony at his memorial site in Marion, Ohio, July 18, 2015. Attending the annual event in honor of the nation’s 29th president were members of the Harding Family, members of the local community and history enthusiasts from throughout the greater area.  

MARION, OH, UNITED STATES

07.18.2015

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Corey Beal 

88th Readiness Division

MARION, Ohio - The life and legacy of President Warren G. Harding was celebrated during an annual wreath laying ceremony at his memorial site in Marion, Ohio, July 18, 2015.

Army Reserve Brig. Gen. R.A. Bassford, deputy commanding general of the 88th Regional Support Command, officiated the ceremony on behalf of President Barack 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, members of the local community and history enthusiasts from throughout the greater area. Also supporting the event were Chaplain Capt. Charles Bechtold of the 88th RSC and Sgt. Luke Washburn of the 338th Army Band.

Bassford spoke to the crowd of Harding’s accomplishments and contributions to the nation, many of which are ignored sometimes ignored in history.

“When he assumed presidency in 1921, the Nation was in an economic depression. It had not bounced back from the war years and there was a huge national debt,” said Bassford. “The government was spending in deficit, despite the fact that taxes were still at their wartime highs. The national mood was anxious at best.

Within a couple of years though, the budget deficit was gone, revenues exceeded spending, public debt was rapidly being retired, government had been streamlined, and taxes had been cut. An economic boom had started leading to what we remember fondly as the Roaring Twenties.

This was a vast improvement in the Nation’s wellbeing that occurred in just two or three years. Was this a happy accident – or does the man who presided over these achievements get some credit for the results?”

• Date Taken: 07.18.2015
• Date Posted: 07.19.2015 12:19
• Story ID: 170476
• Location: MARION, OH, US