GRATIS — The United States’ fallen heroes were honored during a parade and graveside ceremony in Gratis on Sunday, May 30, to commemorate Memorial Day.
Sunday’s festivities started with a parade beginning at the Gratis post office and traveling to Fairview Cemetery.
Participants included representatives from different municipal departments, members of the armed forces, and community volunteers.
After the parade’s conclusion, attendees gathered at Fairview Cemetery for a Memorial Day ceremony, led by Amy Hensely, President of the Gratis Eagles Auxiliary.
Hensley introduced Pastor Gary Wood of Gratis United Methodist Church for an invocation. Afterwards, Hensley introduced Sargeant Kevin Long as the afternoon’s keynote speaker.
Sgt. Long spent seven years in the United States military services where he served as a combat infantryman. He spent six years serving as part of the United States Army as part of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).
According to Sgt. Long, The Old Guard is responsible for conducting funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Additionally, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment provides the Sentinels who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while also handling special ceremonies throughout Washington, DC.
During that time, he performed missions for funerals, special ceremonies, the inauguration, and the Pentagon, as well as completing one tour in Afghanistan. Sgt. Long finalized his service with one year as a member of the Army Reserve. He now volunteers with his local VFW as a benefit specialist to assist veterans.
“I want to start off by thanking everyone for being here and for taking the time to remember what this day is – what this weekend is truly about,” Sgt. Long said. “I feel like the United States as a whole, we have a tendency to live these fast-paced lives and kind of forget about the important things that we should maybe pause from time to time to remember, and this is one of those things.”
Sgt. Long said that while everyone should enjoy their Memorial Day weekend, as the men and women who have passed would want them to do, it is important to take time to reflect on their sacrifices.
“I’m reminded of an experience I had when I first got to The Old Guard – to Arlington. I arrived there on May 10, 2016, so shortly before Memorial Day, and I decided to go for a walk through the cemetery that Memorial Day,” he said. “It felt like the right thing to do. I actually wasn’t even qualified to conduct funerals yet. I was still going through the training process. But, I decided to go for a walk.”
As he went on his walk, Sgt. Long approached the back of the cemetery and came across Section 60, which is a burial ground reserved for military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
“I didn’t know what that was at the time, but that is actually the location where the majority of our service members who passed away in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried,” he said. “What I stumbled upon were hundreds of people sitting around, having picnics, having some beers with a friend who they’d lost. They had signs, flowers, and that’s how they were spending their Memorial Day weekend. While everybody else was out having a good time, they were there trying to retain some of the memories of their loved ones they had lost.”
Looking back to his tour in Afghanistan, Sgt. Long said he understood the sacrifices the men and women of the military make, but this experience was, “a lot for me to take in.”
“To be honest with you, I actually had to leave the cemetery at that point, because it was more for me than I could bear,” he said. “Just know that while we’re having our fun this weekend, there are people who are struggling to deal with losses. If you happen to know a family member of somebody who lost a loved one in service to this country, I would encourage you to reach out to them, take some time to thank them for sacrificing their loved ones for us to have our freedoms and to continue living in this great country.”
Following Sgt. Long’s presentation, service members performed a 21-gun salute, and a performance of “Taps” was provided by students from Preble Shawnee. Pastor Wood then returned to the stage to offer a benediction to close Sunday’s ceremony.
“I couldn’t help but think – I was born in 1937, and I can remember, as a little boy, we’d have air raids at night and everybody had to turn their lights out, if you’re driving your car, you had to stop it, turn your lights out,” he said. “When that war was over, we were celebrating. It was supposed to be the war that ends all wars, and we’ve lost 1000’s of wonderful young people, men and women, who volunteer to go to wherever they’re being sent to protect us in this country. We have a lot of these military men and women living on the streets completely forgotten. We need to, as [Sgt. Long] was saying, take time out there, pray for them and find out how what we can do to help these military young men and women.”
