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On Monday, May 25, the yearly
Memorial Day Service was held at the American Legion Post #263 in
Lincoln. The service started at 10:30 a.m. and was presided over by
Gene Hickey. The event was well attended, with over a hundred people
in the audience.
Seats set out for attendees quickly
filled up while others had to stand or sit in chairs that they
brought. An invocation was first given by Vickie Hasprey, which was
followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
After the pledge, the Star Spangled
Banner was performed by Lesleigh Bennett. Hickey then introduced the
speaker for the service, retired Marine Colonel Robert Tyler.
Tyler started off telling the
audience that he thought a lot about what he was going to say,
adding that he wanted to say something that had not been said
numerous times before. He said that he thought about the difference
between the three biggest military holidays, Veterans Day, Armed
Forces Day, and Memorial Day.
The difference, Tyler stated, is in
what each holiday commemorates. Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day
honor those who are currently serving or those who have served
respectively. Memorial Day, on the other hand, honors those who have
given their lives for their country.
Tyler then shared that he has a
history of having to deliver news about the death of soldiers to
their families and/or Congress over the course of his life. He also
has traveled extensively around the world to many military history
sites. These sites include Lexington and Concord, New Orleans, Fort
George in Canada, multiple Civil War battlefields, a World War I
museum in Kansas City, and the USS Arizona in Hawaii, Iwo Jima,
Midway, and South Korea. In addition to this, Tyler flew helicopters
during the Vietnam War.
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In total, Tyler said, 1.3
million soldiers have given their lives from the American
Revolution to today. It is due to these numerous sacrifices that
the people of the United States get to have the freedoms that
they have today, with Tyler specifically mentioning the right to
vote and speak to your representatives.
Tyler then reflected on what the
sacrifices that these 1.3 million people meant. To do so, he quoted
from Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. This concluded
Tyler’s speech, and Bennett came forward one more time to sing God
Bless America. This was followed by another prayer from Hasprey and
a wreath being placed by the memorial at the front of the building.
The Honor Guard then performed a
21-gun salute. Seven members of the Guard fired three volleys of
shots in the air, and Taps was performed after the shots were fired.
This concluded the ceremony. Hickey informed everyone that there was
food inside, and people started to slowly make their way in to enjoy
the food and conversation.
[Matt Boutcher]
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