Speakers honor those who lost their lives in service to the nation at American Legion-sponsored ceremony.
A city abuzz about Sunday’s sold-out Indianapolis 500 and the first home game for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals took a pause Friday.
Hundreds of veterans, military personnel, Gold Star Families and dignitaries made it clear that the true meaning of Memorial Day Weekend would not be lost in all the excitement.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer, keynote speaker at The American Legion-sponsored 500 Festival Memorial Service at the Indiana War Memorial, put it this way: “Today’s ceremony is about two things. It’s about sacrifice, and it’s about pride. This weekend, as a nation, we stop, we gather and we reflect on those who gave the last full measure of their devotion in defense of our freedoms and liberties, that are anything but free.”
Indianapolis Mayor Joseph Hogsett, son of a World War II veteran and grandson of a World War I veteran: “Today, we commemorate those who… made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to our country. And there is not a Memorial Day that goes by that I do not think about all the soldiers who helped bring my family members back from war … where I do not think about all of the brave men and women who have guaranteed the freedoms that we enjoy in America.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, son of a World War II B-17 tail gunner: “It’s a debt we can never repay, but we can honor their memory and ensure that the next generation knows what they did for us. As we celebrate this weekend, let us also honor those who gave everything for our country. The state of Indiana will never forget their courage, and, as your governor, I will never let our state forget it, as well. Freedom only lasts only as long as we are willing to put it on the line to defend it.”
And American Legion National Judge Advocate Mark Seavey shared a memory that enters his mind daily, from Aug. 7, 2004, in Afghanistan with the 29th Infantry Division. That day, Staff Sgt. Craig Cherry of Maine, a husband and father of three, and Sgt. Bobby Beasley of Virginia were killed by an improvised explosive device. “I still remember the day they passed away, as they were members of my battalion, and we were in our first few days in Afghanistan. Nothing brings home the fear like losing men barely two weeks into a deployment.”
Cherry, he explained, was six months away from retirement from military service.
“I remember that day for something else now, too, and that was the birth of my twin sons, exactly 13 years to the day after losing my brothers in arms. I’ve always been troubled by celebrating their birthdays, especially knowing the mourning that the Cherry family and the Beasleys were going through.”
Weimer, the 17th Sergeant Major of the Army, spoke of all Gold Star Families who have lost loved ones in service to the nation “… the empty chair at the dining room table, the missing laugh at the holidays, at graduations when there is one less voice to cheer. To be able to carry on requires resilience and strength and pride.
“The grief is heavy. There are not a lot of things that can soften the sharp edges of their loss or alleviate the weight of the grief they feel. But we owe it to our teammates to keep their memory alive. There’s a special bond we have – between those who have served, those who are still serving and our Gold Star Families. We have something that connects us – the inspirational memories and the courage of those we honor this weekend at events like this across the entire nation. It’s their courage and their sacrifice that drives us to this day and reinforces our commitment to our purpose, which is to fight and win when called upon.”
“Memorial Day is a time of remembrance, but it is also a time of celebration,” Seavey told the crowd. “We do not celebrate the horrors of war, but we do celebrate the men and women who sacrificed their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. We celebrate the communities in which they were raised and the parents who instilled such values among their sons and daughters. We celebrate the pleasant memories of lives well-lived, even as we continue to mourn their loss.”
“The courage of our fallen heroes is contagious,” Sgt. Maj. Weimer said. “It’s contagious to inspire us. It fuels us, so that we may remain ready and that any adversary wouldn’t dare to infringe upon which our fallen have died for.”
“It’s only right, during a festival where you are celebrating all the benefits that our country has to offer, that we should take a moment to remember those who gave their lives so we could live in the greatest country that God ever created,” Gov. Braun said.
Mayor Hogsett echoed that thought: “At a time when hundreds of thousands of people are flocking to our city to attend the Indianapolis 500, or a few thousand more to see the Pacers compete in the Eastern Conference Finals, it is important that we, as a city, take many moments to pause and reflect, to remember all of the people who make this weekend’s festivities possible.”
Streamed on wishtv.com, the ceremony at the historic Indiana War Memorial featured placement of floral wreaths by Gold Star Families, tolling of the bell from the USS Indianapolis, a caisson presentation by the Military Department of Indiana Ceremonial Unit, music from the 38th Infantry Division Band and a helicopter fly-over by the 38th Combat Aviation Brigade.
- Honor & Remembrance