Fallen Heroes Honored
The Montgomery Court of Honor received 27 service flags honoring veterans during its annual Memorial Day Ceremony Monday.
Forced inside the Red Oak High School gym due to early morning thunderstorms, the service provided family members and friends one final opportunity to pay tribute to the recently deceased veterans.
“President John Kennedy once stated a nation reveals itself not by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,” Chief Master Sgt. Quinton Otto said during his keynote address. “Today is the day we do just that. It is a day we remember.”
Otto, who is entering his 28th year of service with the United States Air Force, said honoring those veterans is an essential component to the American way of life.
“I believe it’s my sacred duty, our duty, to keep the legacy of our nation’s heroes forever fresh in our memories,” he said. “Memorial Day gives us that opportunity. It is time for America to reconnect with our history and core values like honoring those who gave their lives for those freedoms we cherish.”
He also challenged those in attendance to embrace the spirit of the holiday.
“The significance of this day is sometimes confused or distorted. The true meaning of Memorial Day often gets lost to commercialism or the distractions of the weekend,” he said. “As the unofficial beginning of summer, I definitely appreciate this three-day weekend of barbecues, picnics and car races and everything else that goes on. But that’s not the real reason for this day. My goal for myself today and hopefully you will join me is to refocus and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day; a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to this great nation; a day to remember and to honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s finest and bravest.”
With the 27 new flags, the Court of Honor is now the caretaker for more than 1,400 flags. While the families maintain ownership of the flags, Court of Honor members store and care for the flags, and display them at Evergreen Cemetery each Memorial Day, weather permitting.
Veterans with service flags dedicated at the ceremony included:
Cecil Akers, Navy, World War II; David Barnes, Marine Corps, Korea; Bernard Bills, Army, peacetime; Maynard Dahl, Air Force, Vietnam; Wade Dimmitt, Army, World War II; David Dunn, Navy, Vietnam; Jimmie Dykes, Army, Korea; Shirlee Frazey, Navy, World War II; Roger Gray, Navy, Vietnam; Olin Hamman, Army, Korea; Wayne Hammer, Marine Corps, World War II and Korea; Donovan Johnson, Army, Korea; Caroll Kraft, Navy, World War II and Korea; Alvin Lehmkuhl, Army, World War I; Grover Lehmkuhl, Army Signal Corps, World War II; Harry Lehmkuhl, Air Force, Korea; Philip Long, Air Force, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Desert Storm; Lester Marsden, Navy, Vietnam; Ernest McFarland, Army, World War II; Richard Myers, Marine Corps, Korea; Raymond Prall, Navy, Korea; Robert Querry, Army, Korea; Alan Ruhl, Air Force, Vietnam; William Schmid, Navy, Vietnam; Walter Scott, Army, Korea; Harry Veon, Army, World War II; Charles Walker, Navy, Korea.