Rhoades: Memorial Day honors fallen, families who carry the sacrifice

Retired Brigadier General Stephen Rhoades thought he knew what serving his country meant. Entering the United States Army from the ROTC program at the University of Dayton, Rhoades wanted the challenge and the adventures that come with being a soldier.

But shortly into his 30-plus year career, the Mount Vernon native discovered there was so much more. He joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation regiment as a captain in 1997 and assigned to escort Gold Star families to an annual remembrance ceremony.

“Over the years, my own understanding of service has changed. Early on, like many people drawn to the military, I wanted the challenge, I wanted the adventure. In my case, I wanted to fly and I’m very grateful for being an army aviator. Over time and experience, I learned that service is not just about what we do or what military occupational specialty we have. It is always about the people we serve beside and those that we have the privilege to lead,” Rhoades told a large crowd at a Memorial Day event Monday in Mount Vernon. “My perspective broadened in 1997 as a young captain when I joined the 160th special operations aviation regiment. Early in my time there, I was given a duty that shaped my understanding of our solemn responsibility. I was assigned to escort Gold Star families for an annual remembrance ceremony.

“These were the grandparents, parents, spouses and children of service members who died in the line of duty. Among them were the families of the soldiers we lost in Somalia. Names the world came to know through the story ‘Black Hawk Down.’ Meeting those families was a lesson in humility. I witnessed their courage, enduring a grief that never truly leaves. That experience clarified what Memorial Day is actually about. Is it about honoring the fallen? Yes. But it is equally about supporting the families who carry a daily burden most of us can barely imagine.”

The featured speaker at the event in front of the Knox Memorial Building explained that while celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary this year, we must remember staggering cost Americans have paid for their freedom. He said we have overcome immense trials while building an unmatched architecture of freedom.

“As we reflect on everything we’ve achieved, we must do so with a clear-eyed understanding that none of it was free. Every breakthrough, every era of peace, and every generation of prosperity came with a staggering cost. Our history was written not by chance; it was defended page by page by ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things,” said Rhoades, who flew Black Hawk helicopters over the ceremony many years ago. “This anniversary reminds us that our nation is not just a place on a map. It is an idea sustained across generations. Anniversaries invite celebration, but they also demand accountability. We are accountable to protect the liberties we inherited; to strengthen the unity we need; and to ensure that our fallen and their families are never forgotten once the stadium lights fade and the ceremonies end.

“Today we remember Americans who laid down their lives for people they would never meet and a future they would never see. The best way we can honor them is to live with active gratitude, to serve communities, our communities, and to care for those who sit before an empty chair at their tables.”

Rhoades’ speech was just part of a solemn remembrance in front of the Memorial Building. It included the laying of wreaths by the JROTC cadets for Gold Star Mothers and by members of the Lucy Knox Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Mount Vernon High School band performed patriotic and Armed Forces medleys; a rifle salute was given by the Knox County Joint Veterans Council Honor Guard; Bill Neumann and David Byrd played a selection on the bagpipes; and Taps was played by MVHS band member Matthew Teeples.

The event began with a large parade, led down East High Street by members of Ohio Rolling Thunder, this year’s grand marshal. Rolling Thunder was founded by Vietnam era veterans that provides support and educates the public about soldiers who were prisoners of war or still missing in action.

Rolling Thunder led a parade of more than 50 entries, including local youth league teams, various businesses and floats fixed up in patriotic red, white and blue. Families lined the street, decked out in their patriotic best, with children hoping to collect candy from the parade entrants.