American Legion Family members lay wreaths, share memories and pay tribute to Diane Carlson Evans at Veterans Day ceremony in D.C.
During Veterans Day ceremonies at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the nation’s capital, American Legion National Vice Commander Roy Smith’s thoughts turned to Louie Hawkey.
Smith was a little boy when their rural community gathered to honor Hawkey, a Marine who was killed in Vietnam.
“He was just a friendly, outgoing young man,” recalled Smith, a member of Post 914 in Louisville, Ill. “He could do more pushups than anybody in school. He was always very athletic, and he just wanted to serve his country. Today, as I sat there, I was thinking about him and when they brought him home to the funeral home. We were a small community, but the whole community was there for his family. I thought about Louie a lot today.”
On Veterans Day, Smith led an American Legion Family delegation that included Auxiliary Vice President Lisa Chaplin and SAL National Vice Commander Casey Hanson. They laid a wreath at the conclusion of the ceremony.
“The wreath-laying was very moving. Actually, the speeches were probably the most moving of all,” Smith said. “I shed a few tears. I smiled a little bit. It was just an experience that I'll never forget.”
Among the speakers was Kevin Lilly, Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Lilly, whose father served during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and was a captain in the Army and Texas National Guard. When he was 8 years old, Lilly lost a brother to Agent Orange-related complications.
“I remember watching the news and thinking that if I ever get a chance when I grow up, I want to serve our country, but I also want to serve our veterans,” he recalled. “This wall, which is overwhelming, reminds us of the honor of those who served and preserves their memories for future generations. Every name is a story: someone's son or daughter, a friend, a fellow servicemember, someone whose absence is still felt. A photograph or a letter left here reminds us of those connections and that they endure.”
Photos, small American flags, flowers and other remembrances are routinely left along the Wall.
“The Wall mementos are not just picked up and thrown away,” Lilly said. “Our volunteers collect them delicately, respectfully, and turn them over to the National Park Service Archives, where they are kept and will be kept in perpetuity. Those memories, those honorable homages, are the things that make this such an extraordinary monument.”
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PHOTO 1: Hundreds gather at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial for Veterans Day observances. PHOTO 2: Former Army Nurse Edie Meeks speaks during Veterans Day observances at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial. PHOTO 3: Jim Knotts speaks during Veterans Day observances at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial PHOTO 4: American Legion Family leaders also placed a wreath at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. PHOTO 5: Flowers, photos and other remembrances were left at the memorials. Photos by Henry Howard
Just a short distance from the Wall is another extraordinary monument, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. Diane Carlson Evans, an Army nurse during Vietnam, steered the women’s memorial through concept to completion to dedication. She passed away about six months ago.
At the women’s memorial, the American Legion Family delegation laid a wreath amid other remembrances. The night before Veterans Day, a candlelight ceremony was held in honor of Evans at the women's memorial.
Edie Meeks, who served with Evans as an Army nurse, spent 25 years on the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation.
“Diane loved you so much,” said Meeks, an American Legion member. “She was so grateful for the veterans who helped her out. And she was loved by so many. I started my speech by saying, ‘What do you say about the loss of your best friend?’ And today I can say thank you. Thank you for letting me know her. She was special, unique and a lot of fun.”
Meeks left quite an impression on Chaplin, a member of Colonial Heights Unit 284 in Virginia.
“I'm a nurse practitioner, so I am fascinated whenever I hear any healthcare-related kinds of stories,” she said. “And what struck me the most about her stories is that you can't appreciate what somebody has experienced that's outside the world of human experience. And that's exactly what she was trying to describe, seeing things no one should ever see, being part of things that no one should ever have to be part of, and then not being able to share that with people and having to internalize it.”
Hanson, a member of Squadron 42 in Arlington, S.D., is eligible for SAL membership through his father, Terry Hanson, who served stateside in the Army during Vietnam.
“I've been out here three to four times, and it's humbling every time,” he said. “Freedom isn't free. And when you visit here, you remember that. There's so much history in the Washington, D.C., area, the monuments, the memorials. We wouldn't have any of that if it wasn't for our veterans.”
Hanson appreciates the history, but it’s more than just that.
“I love coming out here,” he said. “It's more of a respect thing. The respect is from knowing we have our way of life that we do because the veterans who have raised that right hand, signed that dotted line and were willing to risk their life. And some of them paid the ultimate price. It's a reminder that the foundation of this country was outlined by paper and ink, but blood and only blood protects it. I'll never forget that.”
- Veterans Day