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Staff Sgt. Beth Thomas of the Old Guard plays taps at the end of the Memorial Day observance at Fredericksburg National Cemetery yesterday. A standing-room-only crowd attended the ceremony on the hill overlooking more than 15,000 graves of soldiers.
Descendants and friends of Ladies' Memorial Association members drop flower petals at the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery.
Confederate re-enactors pray yesterday during Memorial Day services at Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery.
Members of Confederate re-enactment groups execute a series of three volleys yesterday during the observance of Memorial Day in the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery. Edwin W. Watson of the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center gave the address. |
New Yorker's stop led him to memorial event
James McIlvain was on a tour from New York to the Outer Banks with his wife when the bus made a scheduled stop in Fredericksburg.
The 85-year-New Yorker decided to attend the Memorial Day Observance at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. He was the only World War II veteran at the ceremony.
"Memorial Day means everything: the Constitution and all that it implies," McIlvain said.
The 142nd Memorial Day Observance drew a standing-room-only crowd as people gathered atop the cemetery hill overlooking the 15,300 graves of soldiers. Each was marked with a miniature American flag.
The keynote speaker, retired Maj. Gen. Thomas Cleland, recognized veterans from all wars by asking them to stand.
The former commander of the New York Guard spoke about the importance of remembering "the blood, sweat and tears of those who secured the treasures of freedom."
He read a passage from the journal of Gen. William T. Sherman that included "War is hell but a necessary evil to preserve our freedom and those of others."
Cleland mentioned the importance of freedom for open debate without fear or threat in the election year.
He concluded by saying the most important thing Americans can do is support the young men and women sent into harm's way.
Donald C. Pfanz, staff historian for Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, discussed the history of the cemetery's Memorial Day program. The tradition began with the local African-American community and later became a "stage of reconciliation between former enemies."
Pfanz emphasized that Memorial Day has changed over the years but it remains personal.
"We've all been touched by war," he said.
Fred Whetzel, a Fredericksburg resident and veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, put it simply: "Memorial Day is about remembrance. We always want to remember our fallen heroes."
--Megan Williams
Civil War significant, speaker says at service
The Civil War was the most significant event in American history, those gathered at the Confederate Cemetery yesterday for the observance of Memorial Day were told.
Edwin W. Watson, president of the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, also talked about a former soldier, artist John Adams Elder, who is buried in the cemetery.
Elder not only painted portraits of Gens. Robert E. Lee, Edward Johnson, and Jubal Early, but also scenes of everyday life in the South.
Watson explained how Elder captured the "southern mystique" in his works.
Confederate re-enactment groups and Boy Scout Troop 179, started the program as they marched in and took their places beside the monument in the center of the cemetery that honors Confederate soldiers who died in Fredericksburg.
Bob Hammond of Stafford County said, "I have five or six ancestors who fought in the war, and I'm here to honor their efforts to what they thought was a just cause," Hammond said.
As the program came to an end, children threw flower petals down around the monument while everyone sang "Faith of Our Fathers." Taps was then played.
--Jasmine McKeiver
DONATED FLAGS TELL STORY AT QUANTICO CEMETERY
More than 500 flags lined the road through Quantico National Cemetery yesterday, from the gate to the memorial.
Families of deceased service members have given back the flags once draped over the coffins of their loved ones. They now line the road twice a year in an Avenue of Honor.
John Hess, a World War II veteran who lives in Stafford County, said, "We first started the project 20 years ago to honor fallen veterans" Hess said. "Everyone has been so generous, it has been remarkable."
The project has seen growth in recent years, especially donations from families of young men and women who have died fighting in conflicts in the Middle East.
With the current war in Iraq and many still serving in Afghanistan, the flags stood as a reminder of how many are still in harm's way today.
Maj. Gen. Donald R. Gardner, president of the Marine Corps University at Quantico, said that even with the ongoing struggle in Iraq, the corps is as strong as he has ever seen it.
"These men and women serving today are our next greatest generation" Gardner said. "They are up to the fight."
--Carden Hedelt
