American Legion honors fallen during Memorial Day commemoration
May 30—The Veterans' Triangle at Elmwood Cemetery was serene Sunday afternoon. The grass was neatly trimmed, and the grave markers were adorned with small American flags.
The servicemen laid to rest in the Veterans' Triangle were all, at one time, members of the American Legion, and members of the James L. Yates American Legion Post 9 see the upkeep of the Veterans Triangle as a duty.
"We make sure it's mowed and trimmed," Post 9 auxiliary president Laura Morris said. The Veterans' Triangle is where the American Legion buries veterans who do not have the financial resources to pay for burial services.
Legion members, local officials and members of the public gathered Sunday to pay tribute to the veterans at rest in the Triangle, and to remember the sacrifices of all service members who served, and sometimes made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The event is always solemn, but Sunday's event was not focused solely on veterans of wars fought decades in the past. Post 9 commander Charlie Lagadinos recited the names of the 13 service members killed last August, during a terrorist attack at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. The service members were part of the help Afghan citizens trying to flee the country, which was expected to fall to the Taliban after U.S. troops withdrew.
"Their mission was noble, to evacuate civilians desperate to escape a brutish regime," Lagadinos said. The service men and women killed were mostly in their 20s. One of the oldest was in his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, while one of the youngest had only been in the country for about a week, Lagadinos said.
"They represent the best of a generation," Lagadinos said. Those service men and women joined the armed forces, "so serve America, and to make life better for others," he said.
"Not only are these men and women forever in our hearts; for those that knew them, they are forever young," Lagadinos said.
From the American Revolution to the global war on terrorism, more than one million Americans have been killed while serving their country in the armed forces, Lagadinos said.
Members of all the branches or service were represented at Sunday's ceremony, and the audience thanked them as their service anthems were played.
"Memorial Day is about gratitude and remembrance," Lagadinos said. "The reason there is a memorial day, the reason we are gathered here, is to remember the ones that made our way of life possible."
James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
