There was a really nice turnout for the Memorial Day ceremony on the lawn of the Cook County courthouse on Monday, May 25. The beginning of summer is a very busy time filled with preparation for graduation, family fishing trips, and yard projects. It was nice to see about one hundred people take time out of the busy weekend to remember our veterans.
It is a very meaningful ceremony. It’s heart breaking to hear American Legion Post 413 Commander Don Wilson read the “honor roll,” the list of names of veterans who died since the last ceremony. Some strong community leaders and good friends have passed on. It’s heart breaking, but it is wonderful that the community takes this time to recognize their passing.
The ceremony traditionally includes prayers for the men and women currently serving in the military, like Jesse Anderson, the son of Lyle and Shelby Anderson of Grand Marais. Jesse is currently serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. It is important to remember these folks, the sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, husbands and wives, serving far away.
After the ceremony, my husband Chuck and I headed down to the American Legion for the lunch hosted by the Legion Auxiliary. It was an enjoyable, casual gathering for veterans and their families. The lunch was free for vets and just $5 for community members. When we got to the head of the line, I pulled out $10 to pay for both of us. As we moved down the line, Chuck reminded me that he didn’t have to pay—he is a veteran.
Kristen at the cash register heard and made him take back the $5 bill. A wonderful gesture by the Legion Auxiliary. A nice way to say thanks to our veterans— all of them—even the quiet ones right next to us.
I don’t know how I could have forgotten Chuck’s veteran status, even for a moment. He was in the Army when we got married 34 years ago. He wore his green uniform during our wedding ceremony at the First Congregational Church. After the wedding, we packed up our worldly goods and headed to Tacoma, Washington, where Chuck was stationed at Fort Lewis.
We were eventually stationed at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Ord near Monterey, California, and Fort Belvoir near Woodbridge, Virginia; and in Mannheim and Heilbronn, Germany. Because he served in the Army for 22 years, we have friends scattered across the United States.
Also because of his military career, we endured numerous separations, short and long. Our sons and I lived in Grand Marais for a year without him while he resided on the border between South and North Korea, doing his part to maintain the uneasy truce between those countries. He left when our younger son, Gideon, was just six-months-old. It was a long, lonely year for my soldier.
There were numerous other, shorter deployments, and a lot of worry. Because of his military career, I know the gut-wrenching fear of late night phone calls signaling deployment to the unknown. I still clearly remember the “code” used at his last duty station with MDW (Military District of Washington) Engineers. If something drastic happened in Washington DC, Chuck’s unit was the one that would respond. When the phonecalling tree was activated, the caller simply stated white bayonet, blue bayonet, or red bayonet. White bayonet meant just practice. It entailed making the necessary phone calls; ensuring that everyone’s contact information was correct and that they could be reached. Blue bayonet meant this is a practice requiring MDW soldiers to head to post with all the gear required for a deployment, ready to stay for an undetermined period of time. It could be a few hours. It could be a few days, depending on what training was planned. Red bayonet meant this is the real thing.
Fortunately, we never received a Red bayonet call. But the anxiety was always there, just beneath the surface of family life. The knowledge that such a call could come at any time is always in a soldier’s mind. The men and women of our Armed Forces have all made that commitment. They all stand ready, at a moment’s notice, to leave their friends and families behind, to go willingly to harm’s way. Those who served were ready, willing, and able to do what needed to be done.
We should never forget, not even for a moment, that commitment. We should never miss a chance to say thank you. Especially to the veteran who may be right next to you. God and the soldier, all men adore, In time of danger and not before.
When the danger is passed and all things righted.
God is forgotten, and the soldier slighted.
R.E. Armstrong
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