WOODLAWN, Maryland - More than 300 people filled the Altmeyer Auditorium at the Social Security Administration headquarters on May 20 as Col. Trey Jordan, District Engineer and commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, shared his reflections on the meaning of Memorial Day.
Under the theme of "Honor and Remember Their Legacy," Jordan emphasized his experiences with Memorial Day and what it meant to him.
"As a Boy Scout in the days of my youth, every year our troop would go to the grave of a World War I veteran and former scoutmaster named Col. Clifton Lisle. He is buried in the cemetery that is part of an idyllic country church in a hilly area outside Philadelphia. When our bugler played taps graveside, there was a second bugler out of sight who played a muted but distinct echo. The silence between the taps and the echo was memorable, and the echo appearing as though it was being reflected off the graves around us, twice as somber as the original. The memory lasts with me to this day."
He noted, "I come from a military family; my mother was an engineer whose father and grandfather fought in World War II. Between my military heritage and my time with the Boy Scouts, I wanted to serve and give back to the Nation. That was one of se veral reasons for applying for my ROTC scholarship."
He spoke of the mission of the Baltimore District and how we supported soldiers by building modern facilities, and how we supported communities with levees for flood protection, but the majority of his comments centered on those who had served, to include USACE volunteer deployers, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
The event, organized by the SSA Veterans and Military Affairs Advisory Council, featured the U.S. Armed Forces Color Guard posting the colors with the flag from each service carrying multiple battle and campaign streamers.
The SSA band played patriotic music, and the Randallstown Senior High School choir sang the National Anthem with the audience joining in. They later presented "My Country Tis of Thee" and a rousing, a cappella rendition of "The Storm is Passing Over."
A poignant moment occurred when narrator Joyce Goode asked those who were Gold Star families to stand and receive recognition. Gold Star families are those with an immediate family member who had died in the service during a period of war or hostilities. It is considered as a silent recognition of the price that the family had paid in the cause of freedom. For Goode, that moment was 2002 when she lost her son while serving in the Navy.
"You do great things for our Nation by taking care of the survivors," Jordan said. "You are still in the Nation's service and I am grateful for that."
After the ceremony, Colvin and Jordan went outside to lay a wreath at the SSA granite memorial in their central courtyard. The memorial had the names of the 48 employees who gave the ultimate sacrifice during World War II and the Korean conflict. It was engraved with this simple phrase: "In grateful memory of our fellow employees who gave their lives for our country."
A six-person U.S. Navy Drill Team also performed a silent demonstration with twirling rifles and precise movements.
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District
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