Photo By Sgt. Salvatore Ottaviano | Lt. Col. Christopher Carbone, who serves as the staff operations and training...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – Service members across multiple branches of the U.S. military, law enforcement, first responders, students and educators gathered here May 22 for the 42nd Annual Parade of Wreaths ceremony.
The event featured keynote speaker Lt. Col. Christopher Carbone, who serves as the staff operations and training specialist as a civilian for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
“It is the act of remembrance that is the important piece of this day…in doing so, we reaffirm our commitment to our brothers and sisters that their sacrifices shall not be forgotten or have been in vain,” said Carbone.
The ceremony, held at Tommy B's Community Center, carries a meaningful purpose in serving as a reminder that it is time to reflect on the lives lost in service to the nation and show reverence for their sacrifice.
“For those of us in this room, we are touched a bit more by this,” said Carbone, speaking to the many service members and first responders in attendance. “Most here can close their eyes and see the smiling face of a comrade we lost. Most of us can hear a laugh or a voice still to this day that brings back memories.
“We understand and feel on a different level what this day is about, and while we try our best to convey it to others, it is something that words cannot always explain,” he noted.
The Major Thomas B. McGuire Memorial Foundation and the New Jersey State Police hosted the event in conjunction with Memorial Day weekend to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice paid by service members and police officers, past and present.
“My thoughts are of three young rifle platoon leaders in the prime of their lives,” Carbone said. “Nearly 20 years ago, in 2005, their unit was mobilized and ordered to Iraq and deployed into Ramadi in the Anbar province.
“These three had grown and developed as young lieutenants in their company and were prepared to take on the world alongside some of the finest infantrymen around,” he continued. “It would be in Ramadi, though - while leading their troops in combat - that within a span of a little more than two months, two would be killed in action and one critically wounded by an IED and evacuated.
“Today, I stand before you as the last of those three lieutenants, the one left to carry on their story, preserve their legacy, and to remember their sacrifice,” he said. “It has come with its challenges, but at some of my hardest points in life, it has given me the strength to persevere.”
Carbone imparted his wisdom in remembering not just their sacrifice, but their priceless service.
“Reflect upon their loss and their sacrifice so that it should give us strength and not have been in vain,” he said. “And rejoice - rejoice that such men and women lived, those who were willing to go forward in the service of this nation, knowing all the risk involved, and still raised their hands and said, ‘Send me’”
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2025 09:46 |
| Story ID: | 499032 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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