CAMP ZAMA, Japan -- The U.S. Army Japan community held a Memorial Day ceremony here Monday to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States.
“Memorial Day is a national awareness and solemn remembrance day for revering those who have gone before us,” said Maj. Gen. JB Vowell, commander of USARJ. "It is a day for us to honor the military men and women who gave their lives in defense of our great nation, its values and its freedom.”
The annual observance, held on the last Monday of May, was first widely observed in 1868 to honor troops who died in the Civil War. Initially called Decoration Day, since the graves of the deceased were decorated, the observance was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1967.
Ever since the Revolutionary War, the country has remembered nearly 1.2 million service members who have sacrificed themselves in service of its defense.
“We are reminded that the world remains a very dangerous place, and that our Soldiers are in harm’s way all across the globe each and every day,” Vowell said.
Many of whom in the audience, he said, have personal stories of Soldiers they have known or known of who gave their life in service.
“To our Army community, Memorial Day is always personal, visceral and deeply moving,” Vowell said. “I’ve had the privilege of serving with great Soldiers in combat on several occasions.”
One of those Soldiers was Spc. Jameson Lindskog, a combat medic from Pleasanton, California, who the general described as quiet, small in stature and a bit nerdy.
“Jameson was always on a computer game when he wasn’t on a patrol, which was daily,” Vowell said. “Someone you could easily overlook as a warrior.”
Vowell, who at the time was an infantry task force commander in the 101st Airborne Division, said Lindskog was initially his combat medic during a deployment to the remote mountains of northern Afghanistan in 2010.
As the task force prepared for an offensive in the following spring, Vowell moved Lindskog to a rifle platoon to gain more experience.
Lindskog had been in firefights before and Vowell knew how calm the young man was under pressure.
“But I can never have predicted the innate bravery and sacrifice he held within him,” Vowell said.
In the second day of the offensive, Lindskog’s platoon was maneuvering through a series of buildings when they were ambushed with heavy enemy machine gunfire. The attack immediately left two U.S. Soldiers wounded and killed two Afghan soldiers.
As leadership assessed the situation, Lindskog, who was closer and understood how grave the situation had been, knew what he had to do, the general said.
With little guidance, Lindskog ran forward, in the open and under withering fire, to the wounded, where he quickly provided first aid and trauma response, he said.
“He worked furiously while slowly around him more and more Soldiers were hit,” Vowell said.
“What no one knew at the time was that he had received two rounds to the chest, all while working on others, and did not say a word,” he added. “He kept on working on the wounded, all while slowly bleeding out himself.”
Vowell said the specialist’s last words on that fateful day were that he was sorry he couldn’t have done more. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions.
“Though not everyone got out alive that day, several Soldiers owe their lives to [Lindskog’s] bravery and skill,” Vowell said.
Every year, Vowell said he remembers Lindskog and the 17 others who were lost during that deployment and in other combat zones throughout his career.
“Memorial Day is a time to honor our commitment to never forget those who served and sacrificed for America,” Vowell said. “We are here today because their actions helped to preserve the freedoms and liberty we enjoy.”
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