Honoring the Fallen

Fellow soldiers, family members, and friends of those who have served or are serving in the military gathered at the American Legion Post 175 on Manhattan Beach Road this morning. One by one, they filed in the hall, decorated with the colors and a red, white, and blue wreath, all to pray for those who were lost and those who were left behind.

Post Chaplain Reed Brown coordinated the ceremony. A history buff, he included remarks about the start of the holiday back in 1868.

“Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day, commemerating those who died while in the military service,” said Brown. “This was first enacted by an organization of Union veterans to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. It was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.”

Post Commander Lumpy Johnson welcomed guests to the ceremony, thanking them for their presence and their support of those who served and continue to serve this country.

Vice First Commander Becky Tulley of Pasadena was the first female wounded in the Gulf War, where she earned her Purple Heart. She tearfully told the story of her friend Cindy who served with her during that time. “She was 19 and loved to dance,” recalled Tulley. “She was killed in an explosion that took off her right leg.” 

Tulley also shared that she still thinks of the men and women who served with her who were lost in that war. “I wonder if their husbands and wives ever recovered, ever remarried,” she said tearfully. “And I wonder if their kids still miss them and miss giving them a hug.”

Johnson quietly held her hand and after Tulley’s remarks grew emotional himself. “Unless you have been in our shoes, have lost friends or loved ones to war, you just can’t understand,” he said.

Second Vice Commander John Fuller of Arnold, an Army Vietnam War veteran, read from the General Order of 1868 designating the Memorial Day holiday.

“Let us then at the appointed time gather around their remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of springtime,” he read. “Let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor. Let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they left behind.”

A moment of silence followed with the playing of Taps, performed with great dignity by veteran Andre Milot.

As the attendees began heading to the buffet lunch provided by the Post, Brown, Johnson, and Fuller quietly took a vase with flowers and traveled to the military memorial on the B & A Trail in Olde Severna Park. After a prayer and a salute, the men left the flowers and returned to the Post, back to their Post family forever tied through memories and experiences that continue to shape their lives.

Note:  The Post will be conducting the appropriate burning of American flags on Flag Day, June 14th. If you have a flag that is worn or damaged, you can deliver them to the Post anytime before then and they will destroy it in the proper manner.