Photo By Staff Sgt. Derek Cotton | A representative from the Oahu Chapter 858, Vietnam Veterans of America, waits in...... read more read more
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HONOLULU - A little girl weaves through the dispersing crowd at a veterans cemetery. Above her, veterans adorn attire that is diverse but unified; some wear old fatigues with worn decorations, some have leather vests that are patched to observe military service, some wear garrison caps with appropriate insignias, some wear slacks and polo shirts with simple embroideries, some wear full suits with gleaming decorations, and some wear the crisp, proper uniforms of the U.S. military. All of them wear the look of being both honored and pained by remembrance. She finds her way out of the crowd to a sea of “Old Glory,” the final resting place for American veterans. She looks back to her mother in inquisition, pointing at a flag-adorned, lei-draped gravestone.
Friends, family and veterans attended the Memorial Day ceremony at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, here May 28. Those who attended carried on this tradition to remember Americans who died in military service for our country.
“It is our honor to have with us today loved ones and comrades of some who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation,” said Mayor Peter Carlisle, of the City and County of Honolulu. “We owe you more than words will ever be able to express, and we vow that we will never forget.”
Representatives for numerous groups took their turn to present floral arrangements at the Honolulu Memorial, which is flanked by marble slabs that contain the names of more than 25,000 American war-dead. These memorials, and the traditions around them, insight the present with the honor of the past.
“It is often said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance … We must remain strong and resolute in the defense of our nation, but we must also strive to avoid conflict and protect lives through peaceful means,” Carlisle said. “The honor and memory of our nation’s fallen demand nothing less.”
As the statue of Lady Columbia peers down at the commemoration, service members place the value of honor at her feet. This event is one that is placed on a very high level by some of the most highly recognized Marines.
“Memorial Day – we pay tribute to all wars and all services.” said Medal of Honor recipient and retired sergeant major Allan J. Kellogg Jr. “I go every year to show respect … it was packed this year with lots of veterans from World War II and the Vietnam [War].”
Kellogg went on to say that recognizing the sacrifice of the American military is vital to our civilization, and the time is coming for the next generation of American veterans to take their place as time takes its toll on the eldest of our veterans.
As the little girl returns home from the cemetery, another year’s Memorial Day has gone, with the memory of veterans not forgotten. They live on in her, as she asks questions of her mother, till her time to pass the memory of the fallen to the next generation children has come at a future Memorial Day.
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2012 20:55 |
| Story ID: | 89609 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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