Across the nation, surviving family members, veterans and friends of those who served both in the military and as first responders will gather on Monday to honor the memory of those who served their country.
The hallmark event is the annual Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery. While I have not had the privilege of attending that solemn event, I have had the honor, along with my family, of visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded by soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard."
According to the U.S. Department of Defense website, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier "serves as a symbolic grave for all war dead whose remains have not been found or identified."
It also includes an article, written in 2021 by David Vergun of the DOD News, that recounts the tomb's origin in World War I.
"In 1916, after a British army chaplain noticed a grave marked 'An Unknown British Soldier,' he got the idea for what would become the United Kingdom's Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. That memorial was dedicated Nov. 11, 1920, two years after the armistice that ended World War I," the article states.
"The idea took hold and spread among other wartime allies, including France, Italy and the U.S. On Nov. 11, 1921, the U.S. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery."
Vergun notes that military historian Patrick K. O'Donnell "researched the back story of that dedication, including the stories of the soldiers who brought the unknown soldier's remains to Arlington." His findings were published in the book "The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America's Unknown Soldier and WWI's Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home."
"On Sept. 29, 1921, the War Department ordered the selection of an unknown soldier from those buried in France. ... Since 1921, two other unknown soldiers have joined the World War I unknown soldier: one from World War II and one from the Korean War."
Two years ago, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III noted in his remarks at the national Memorial Day Ceremony that we come together at this time "to remember, to renew our sense of common purpose, and to reach out to those who have long mourned, and to those who newly grieve.
"Our Gold Star and surviving families wage a fight that goes on long after the funerals. And it is our sacred duty to do more to ease the burden that they shoulder, on Memorial Day and every day. Because for as long as America has sent our sons and daughters into harm's way, those on the homefront have also been on the front lines."
In last year's speech, Austin quoted the late President John F. Kennedy, noting he rests nearby:
"We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.
"So as we honor our fallen today, let us live by their dedication to democracy, to liberty, and to the Constitution.
"When choosing between what is easy and what is right, let us live by the example of our fallen warriors.
"And when the values that we hold dear are put to the test, let us live by the ideals that they gave their lives to defend.
"Today, we hold the fallen in our prayers. And every day, we strive to make them proud."
Our community's annual ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park, 118 Orange St.
This year's speaker is Garland County Veterans Service Officer Richard Green, a retired chief master sergeant in the Air Force with 38 years of service.
Let all of us remember those who served our country in the name of freedom, and "hold the fallen in our prayers" on Monday.