With a heat wave topping the 90s for Allegan’s 2018 Memorial Day parade and ceremony in Oakwood Cemetery, people clad in red, white and blue huddled under shade trees to honor the men and woman who gave their lives for their country and the veterans who came home to tell about it.
“We remember the Marines in California who were training to be of service to their country when their helicopter crashed and four passed away,” said Pete Antkoviak who gave a suggested speech for the cemetery remembrance that spoke of the dead.
“They still speak to us. If you listen quietly you can hear them. You remember their voices from conversations you heard before they gave their last measure of devotion to this nation. Even if you are not even a Gold Star family member, battle buddy, friend or relative of a fallen hero, all you have to do is look around and you’ll see their legacy—it is us. Americans gathered in a free society, united with a common purpose of honoring uncommon bravery. We are their legacy.
“Regardless of the place or the war fought, the purity of their sacrifice is without question. Young men and women lost their lives in order to make the freedom of others possible. More than a million United States heroes had their lives cut short while fighting in wars since the American Revolution. Time only permits us to tell a few their remarkable stories today but they are representative of many.
“A century ago, America was engaged in the war to end all wars: World War (I).
It was there that a brash aviator from Arizona earned a reputation for recklessness. Though he exasperated many of his superior officers, the 21-year-old pilot claimed a remarkable 18 aerial victories over German pilots in an 18-day period.
“Frank Luke shot down three balloons while he was being relentlessly pursued by eight enemy aircraft. Under enemy fire, his plane went down near the town of Murvaux in France. Surrounded on the ground by enemy fire, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound to the chest. Luke was the first respondent to receive the Medal of Honor.
“Fast forward 50 years to another continent with yet another determined group of American heroes. Sharon Lane was committed to caring for those heroes and entered the Army Nurse Corp in 1968. A year later, the 25-year-old from North Industry, Ohio, was working hard at the 312th evacuation hospital in Chu Lai, South Vietnam.
“Women were exempted from the draft but 1st Lt. Lane was a volunteer and she was where she wanted to be. That happened to be with wounded soldiers.
“As the nation observed Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29, there was no Wikipedia page for Lt. Lane. She did not have the Medal of Honor that Audie Murphy did or the fame of Sgt. York, but she was just as much a hero.
“Rocket and mortar tags were common at her base. In a letter home, she wrote of one attack. ‘We got all the patients we could under the beds and put mattresses over the ones in traction. Very interesting place but hardly anyone is scared. It is just part of the job.’
“On June 8, 1969, 1st Lt. Sharon Lane gave the ultimate sacrifice after a 122 mm rocket blasted through her ward killing her and a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl. Sharon Lane was the only female nurse to be killed by enemy fire in the Vietnam War.
“The heroes that we remember here today are not exclusive to any age, gender, race or religion. They are a diverse group dedicated to a common principle—that America is a nation worth dying for. Not all of these heroes died of enemy gunfire. Military service sometimes requires dangerous risks even when its members are far from a combat zone—as those four Marines were that died last month in training exercises in southern California.
“These people will be forever in our hearts and minds as well—not just these Marines but soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and other Marines who have the made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. We extend our gratitude and support for a group that nobody wants to join but has already given our country so much—the Gold Star families.
“As we observe Memorial Day this year and every year, these families remember their fallen loved ones every day. Children without parents, Gold Star mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings, they can still hear the voices of those they have lost and it is up to us to hear the voices of these families, offer our support and express our highest gratitude.
“Whether the people we remember served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the War on Terrorism or any place or time before or in between, we thank them for the freedom they have given us. We are here because of them. God Bless you all, God Bless America and God Bless our fallen heroes.”
Wreaths were laid for each war, veteran Steve Whitcomb played the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Girl Scout Maria Skrycki recited the Gettysburg address and Boy Scout Luke Skrycki recited the poem “In Flanders Field.” A firing squad saluted the fallen, Taps was played and Allegan High School band performed the National Anthem.
State Rep. Mary Whiteford said the most stunning thing about having a Memorial Day ceremony is looking at the young men, women and teenagers remembering heroes in the United States.
“They were just teenagers when they signed up to make sacrifices for the country so I’m so proud of our young leaders who have peers from 50 years ago who sacrificed their lives,” Whiteford said. “I thank all the veterans here today on behalf of their fallen brothers and sisters, as well as their families who lost their children.”
Vietnam veteran Tessa Pierce Thomas said a prayer for the 58,318 names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
“I sit amongst their ghosts and tell of their great deeds,” Thomas said. “All gave some and some gave all.”
Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.
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