WIESBADEN, Germany -- Many Americans grew up thinking of Memorial Day as a time to honor the nation's war dead from long ago. With servicemen and servicewomen paying the ultimate price for their country in the War on Terror the meaning of this day has become more immediate.
Wiesbaden and Baumholder have joyously welcomed home thousands of Soldiers in the past few months from deployment but 114 of them did not return. Col. Ray Graham, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, said 104 Soldiers under the 1st Armored Division's command in Northern Iraq, 12 Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade combat team out of Baumholder, and one Soldier from Wiesbaden "made the ultimate sacrifice" during that deployment.
"We value what was gained in their sacrifice," said Graham during remarks at the garrison Memorial Day observance May 21 at Wiesbaden Army Airfield. "It is our duty to keep their legacy fresh in the memories of future generations."
In keeping with the tradition of decorating the graves of the war dead the ceremony included a wreath laying and Patty Anderson, the daughter of veteran William Swingle, placed flowers at the memorial in honor of her father who passed away on Memorial Day 2007.
Speaker William Robinson of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 27 said it is the responsibility of everyone to "be the voice to remind (others) that freedom is not free."
"Honor our fallen not for their sakes but for our own," said Robinson. "The United States and the freedom for which it stands must endure."
Robinson suggested aiding the widows and orphans of the fallen and passing their stories on to future generations as a means of honoring their sacrifices. "Count your blessings and then count the cost," said Robinson. "Find some way to give back."
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