LATHAM, N.Y. – Soldiers, Airmen, Naval Militia members and civilians who work at the New York National Guard headquarters in Latham marked Memorial Day with a short ceremony May 21 at the building’s Fallen Soldier memorial.
Two hundred and fifty people listened to Air National Guard Maj. Gen. Gary Charlton II, the commander of the New York Air National Guard, deliver a speech on the history and significance of Memorial Day.
A reading of the names of New York National Guard military personnel and civilian employees who have died in the last year followed the speech. Charlton and Command Chief Master Sgt. Michael Hewson then placed a wreath at the memorial as taps were played.
Taking time out to remember those who gave their lives in war is always important, said Air Guard Master Sgt. Elizabeth Hanrahan.
“It’s great to honor those who died,” Hanrahan said. “It’s always good to pay your respects.”
Pfc. Kristol Bacon, who set up the sound system for the ceremony, agreed.
“It’s important to show remembrance for the Soldiers who’ve fallen,” she said.
In his remarks, Charlton called Memorial Day a holiday that is “unmistakably American.”
The holiday, he said, also runs through New York. Waterloo, New York, held Decoration Day services in April 1866 to honor the 58 local men who died in the Civil War, a large number for a village of 1,500 people.
That same month in Columbus, Georgia, women marked the graves of 200 Confederate Soldiers. Even in a divided nation, the urge to remember those who died existed on both sides.
Over time, the name changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day, but the holiday marked the 620,000 Americans killed during the Civil War. But after World War I, that changed, he said. While other countries settled on Nov. 11 as a Remembrance Day to mark those war dead, in the United States, the meaning of Memorial Day changed to honor the 116,000 killed in what was called the Great War, Charlton said.
After World War II, an additional 407,000 were honored, followed by 36,000 who died in the Korean War; 58,000 from Vietnam; and 7,000 in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Global War on Terror, 39 members of the New York Army and Air National Guard gave their lives, he said.
Charlton urged his listeners to enjoy their long weekend, but to remember the meaning of Memorial Day and those who gave their lives.
“Take a moment to think about those who wore the uniform and gave everything to this country,” Charlton said.
The names of seven New York National Guard military and civilian employees were read.
Although they did not die in combat, “they were our comrades in arms, “said Air National Guard Cap. Joshua Speziale, the master of ceremonies.
Army Guard Major Sorrfly Davius was one of those names. Davius experienced a medical emergency while on duty with the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters in Kuwait during the opening days of the current conflict with Iran.
After Charlton and Hewson placed the memorial wreath, Staff Sgt. Christian Luce, a member of the 42nd Infantry Division Band, sounded taps.
As a member of the band and a member of the New York Army National Guard Honor Guard, he’s played the iconic bugle call many times, Luce said. Every time he does it, whether for a specific military funeral or at a ceremony like the one on May 21, “it is special”, Luce said.
“It’s probably the most important thing I get to do as a trumpet player in the band and in the Honor Guard,” Luce said. “I consider it a privilege every single time.”