American Legion honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice

Jun. 1—BLUEFIELD — Recreational vehicles and pickup trucks hauling campers or trailers loaded with ATVs kept going down Bluefield Avenue as tourists finished their Memorial Day weekends, but the true meaning of the holiday was recognized Monday as a local American Legion post honored the ultimate sacrifice that so many veterans made for their country.

American Legion Riley-Vest Post 9 conducted a Memorial Day Ceremony in downtown Bluefield's Chicory Square to remember the veterans who served their country. It was the first ceremony the post has conducted since the COVID-19 pandemic stopped so many events in 2020.

"It's been a big event, and it means a lot," said Pete Sternloff of Bluefield, who served with the Air Force in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. "The Riley-Vest has been doing this a long time."

Brian Krabbe of Post 9 estimated that the post has been conducting the Memorial Day Ceremony since the 1940s.

"Our post is 102 years old this year," he said just before the ceremony got underway. "It was founded just after World War I in 1919."

Commander Jim Slaughter welcomed veterans and their families as the ceremony began and Chaplain Richard Howell led the opening prayer that asked for blessings for "those who serve the people and guard the public welfare, that by Thy blessing they may be enabled to charge their duties honestly and well."

"We pray for our comrades that by Thy help they may observe the strictest justice, keep alight the fires of freedom, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy, and preserve unblemished our loyalty to our country and to Thee," Howell prayed. "Finally, O God of mercy, we ask Thy blessing and comfort for those comrades who are suffering mental and physical disability."

The Montcalm High School JROTC posted the colors and Karlyn Hagerman led the Pledge of Allegiance, the marching and pledge echoing among the surrounding buildings. Soon Mercer County resident Trevor Darago was singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the audience stood and put hands over hearts. Veterans demonstrated that they still remembered how to properly salute and stand at attention as the National Anthem drowned out the vehicles going down nearby Bluefield Avenue.

One chair in front of the stage remained empty until a black and white POW-MIA flag was draped over it to recognize the prisoners of war and the men and women who remain missing in action and unaccounted for.

The newly-crowned Cole Chevy Mountain Festival Queen Erin Wellman introduced herself and said that she was the granddaughter of an Army veteran and that a cousin that she shares a name with is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

"So I definitely have the utmost respect for our veterans and the families of our veterans, especially those who died in service," Wellman said. "It is an honor to be here with you all today, and an honor to be in a country where we have the freedom to stand for our National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and most importantly, to be here today. We have overcome such a hard year, and we would not be here without our veterans and those who fought for our freedom."

Debbie Krabbe, wife of Brian Krabbe, sang about a veteran's wife as members of the Riley-Vest Post Ladies Auxiliary placed a wreath at Chicory Square's veterans memorial. She reminded the audience of the sacrifices made by veterans' families that lost their loved ones. These families are known as Gold Star Families.

The day's keynote speaker, Army veteran SFC (R) Paul Dorsey, read Memorial Day greetings for Gov. Jim Justice.

"The American Legion upholds our values and patriotism, family and community engagement, selfless service, and enhances the well-being of America's veterans, their families, our military, and our communities with their devotion to mutual helpfulness," Justice stated. "I am pleased to see the Legion family continue to lead in every way."

Dorsey recalled that when he was in the Army, the highlight of his career was serving in West Berlin before the Berlin Wall came down. He remembered how American soldiers could go into neighboring East Berlin, a city that they dubbed "Wally World" because their money was worth so much there.

"We could buy a box of Cuban cigars for $4 and walk around like we owned the place," Dorsey said. "I say that to say this, because until you've served in a place like that, and the same was true of Korea and other places, you really learned to appreciate the freedoms that we have in this country."

In September 1789, about two weeks after the U.S. Constitution was adopted, Congress changed the oath of enlistment. After the revision, the oath called for the newly-enlisted men to "solemnly swear to defend the Constitution and the United States of America," Dorsey told the audience.

"Everybody who is here who was in uniform, we all took that oath," Dorsey said. "The big difference between us and the people we're honoring today is that we're here and they're not."

Dorsey said that the veterans and other people in the audience had the same reason to put their hand over their hearts. They are defending the Constitution.

"We don't have to pick up a rifle to do that," he said. "We should be doing this every day. We should teach this to our kids and our grandkids. When we say we're defending America's freedom, that's what we're referring to: the Constitution."

Dorsey said that the JROTC cadets all knew the answer to his next question.

"How many rights do you have according to the Constitution?" he asked.

"All the ones that you know," JROTC member Hunter McGuire called out from the back. Dorsey had McGuire come to the lectern and gave him a dollar bill.

Leon Landreth Jr. performed "Taps" on the trumpet after the Mercer County Veterans Honor Guard fired three volleys in salute to fallen comrades. The shots echoed loudly through the square, and as they faded, they were replaced by the solemn notes of "Taps."

After that ceremony, Bill Archer of Bluefield sang patriotic songs including "Proud to be an American," and he also sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads," while the audience clapped to the beat as Wellman, Darago and members of the Honor Guard Rifle Squad joined in.

Army veteran Danny Wright, who serves on the Honor Guard with Jack Thompson, Donald Ayers, Ernest Martin, Paul Dorsey and Tom Helton, recalled the reason behind Memorial Day as the audience departed and he helped pack up the chairs.

"It is for all the brothers and sisters who made the sacrifice," Wright said. "I had a 21-year-old cousin (Darrion Hicks) from Raleigh, NC, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. My dad, (SFC) Samuel J. Wright, was on Hamburger Hill in Vietnam. He had three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts."

In the ceremony's closing prayer, Chaplain Richard Howell asked that the veterans be remembered for"the good deeds they accomplished" and to remember the POWs and MIAs who are still missing.

"Let us revere them as good soldiers who fought the good fight in a just cause," Howell prayed. "Let us silently pray for peace, the peace that passes all understanding. And let us in mind and soul consecrate our hearts and lives to the real America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, the America worth fighting for."

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com