Memorial Day with a purpose

Memorial Day is filled with family celebrations, swimming, relaxing on the lake, barbecues, games and more.

The message of the Memorial Day celebration in Killbuck and Glenmont was fairly simple yet poignant: Rejoice in the activities that fill the day but never forget where those freedoms came from.

Killbuck’s Memorial Day Parade began at 10 a.m. from the Killbuck VFW downtown, led by the VFW Post 7079 members and the West Holmes High School marching band. In the process the group held a salute to fallen comrades lost at sea at the Killbuck Bridge.

After a short tour through downtown Killbuck, the parade marched to the Killbuck Cemetery to hold memorial services. The national anthem was presented by Toni Shreve and the West Holmes marching band while Shreve also sang “America the Beautiful.”

Killbuck VFW Pastor Kathy Russell prayed for the ceremony, and VFW member Park Russell then introduced keynote speaker Vanessa Young, U.S. Air Force veteran.

Young served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, where she was assigned to numerous roles. Entering the service in 1993, Young spent the majority of her service time as a medic. As a staff sergeant, she was the senior military training leader for the 338th training detachment at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where she lent her leadership and experience to training 425 trainees. She was promoted to tech sergeant, where she was selected to lead the Air Force’s pharmacy technician program.

During that time Russell helped rewrite the training curriculum for the U.S. Department of Defense program. Now serving as the Holmes County Veterans Service Office assistant director, Russell said she was welcomed into Holmes County with open arms and has since experienced great joy in seeing how caring and compassionate the Holmes County community is, particularly toward its veterans.

Russell shared what Memorial Day means to her.

“Memorial Day can bring a multitude of conflicts and emotions,” Russell said. “We’ve lost some in battle. We’ve lost friends, family, perhaps in battles in foreign lands, some perhaps due to battles in their minds and their souls upon returning from those battles. For me, there is a memory forever etched in my mind. I think it fully expresses what Memorial Day means to me.”

In 2011 Russell was deployed to an area in Southwest Asia just outside of Saudi Arabia, where she was part of the efforts of Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the global war on terrorism.

The base there served as the logistics, command and base hub for activities for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. When a soldier was killed in action in either country, their remains were brought to the base, where they were in holding until they could be shipped back overseas to the U.S.

Russell and a handful of others were tasked with welcoming those individuals back into the arms of America. She said they also were asked to bid them a fond farewell.

“I can remember standing in silence as their names, ages, units and date of death were read,” Russell said. “A lot of them were kids. I remember thinking that we have asked so much of so many, and they have paid the final and most important price for our freedom.

“I remember standing at the back of a plane, whose only cargo was the flag-draped caskets of my fallen brothers and sisters. I remember standing as the chaplain read a final message. I remember standing shoulder to shoulder with those in attendance with me and providing one long, last final salute before they were returned to their families. When I think of Memorial Day, that is the image that is burned into my brain.”

She said she is one of many who share those types of memories, and Memorial Day should be a somber day of remembrance and honor to those who served and gave all.

Russell said while enjoying the many family activities, gatherings and barbecues during Memorial Day isn’t what Memorial Day was designed to celebrate, those activities are a result of the freedoms that were afforded to the nation’s people by those who served.

“Enjoy all of those things, those freedoms we have, but also remember who paid the price to allow us those freedoms,” Russell said. “We aren’t the first, nor will we be the last to witness the love, devotion and sacrifice of our fellow brothers and sisters who paid for these freedoms.

“The cost of freedom and protecting our way of life has never been cheap. The important thing is that we appreciate and understand those sacrifices. We take this moment to truly remember and honor those who served.”

She said while people celebrate, they shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying the freedoms they have because those freedoms are why these soldiers served to preserve them.

“Just remember Memorial Day isn’t about the freedoms we enjoy, but it is about standing on the backs of our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen and civilians who participate in our conflicts,” Russell said. “Be thankful, enjoy life, appreciate what you have and acknowledge what has been given up so we can have this way of life in America.

“We must strive to honor those who made it possible by leading a life worth their sacrifice. Be a blessing to others, not just those who look like you, talk like you or believe what you do, but everyone. In our beautiful, flawed country, we have the freedom to gather here today.”

In ending the ceremony, a 21-gun salute by the members of Killbuck VFW and the playing of taps capped a meaningful salute to the men and women who served and continue to serve the nation in the armed forces.

The entourage then packed up and headed to Glenmont to repeat the ceremony again, with the WHHS band performing at a total of four stops on the day including Millersburg, Killbuck, Glenmont and Nashville.