ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Depot Commander Col. Martine Kidd believes it is appropriate that Memorial Day falls at the end of May and is a day which marks the unofficial start of summer.
"What could be a more fitting tribute to the men and women who died in service to our country than pausing to remember them on a day which signals not the end, but the beginning - a day that gives birth to a season filled with warmth and life," she said.
The installation celebrated this day and the memory of soldiers of each war who have gone before us during a wreath laying ceremony May 26 at McClellan Military Cemetery.
The cemetery, which is located on the former Fort McClellan, is now maintained by Anniston Army Depot.
Several installation employees as well as military and civilian leaders from Calhoun County participated in the event by placing flags in front of each of the 355 headstones at the cemetery.
Memorial Day's roots stretch back to May 1868 when a Civil War officer, Gen. John A. Logan, initiated a Decoration Day.
This day was a time to honor and remember those who lost their lives in the Civil War through the placement of flowers at their gravestones.
Decoration Day soon encompassed those lost in World War I and World War II.
Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971.
"Here, at McClellan Cemetery and at countless cemeteries around the world, we are reminded that freedom is not free," said Kidd.
She told those gathered for the event that the service members interred on that land lived by the same Army values which soldiers have today - loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
"We have all been touched by the sacrifices soldiers have made in service to our country and we know the suffering this loss has brought to mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, spouses and friends," said Kidd.
Maj. Gen. (retired) Gerald Watson, a former commander of Fort McClellan was on hand for the ceremony.
He said his thoughts on Memorial Day often turn to the spouses of those who served, particularly his own.
Carol Ann Watson died in January 2014 and is now interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
"I think about all the things she contributed," said Watson as he reminisced over the time his wife spent at the hospital caring for soldiers and their families.
Kidd reminded those gathered for the ceremony to remember the families of those who served also.
"Each of these survivors have suffered a loss and yet have stood strong through uncertainty and their resilience, dedication and commitment to their soldiers continue to shine as a beacon for the rest of us," she said.
Kidd also asked those present to remember the missing as well during Memorial Day.
"Our nation is committed to the warrior ethos 'I will never leave a fallen comrade behind' and continues efforts to locate, identify and repatriate those men and women who have not yet returned home," said Kidd. "For them, for their families, their journey is not yet complete.
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