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Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AFNS - 5/22/2012) -- In the National
Capital Region, you do not have to look far to find monuments
honoring our heroic Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Coast
Guardsmen who have paid the ultimate price in defense of our great
Nation.
A United States Air Force Honor Guard body bearer team folds the U.S. flag during a full-honors funeral ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Honor Guard body bearers train constantly to maintain the precision they are known for. Their standards of flawlessness are set out of necessity to honor fallen Airmen. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sean Adams |
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This weekend, Americans will visit the memorials
and cemeteries in Washington D.C. and throughout the U.S. as
well as in Europe and the Pacific to honor the hundreds of
thousand fallen service members who have given their lives
for our country and our freedom.
Many will remember grandparents,
parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles who served in
World War I and World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the first
Gulf War. Many more will pay tribute to husbands, wives,
sons and daughters who recently lost their lives in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
Think about that...memorials
and military cemeteries spread across this nation and throughout the
world. The VA's National Cemetery Administration maintains
approximately 3.1 million gravesites at 131 national cemeteries in
39 states and U.S. territories, as well as in 33 "soldiers' lots"
and monument sites. The American Battle Monuments Commission manages
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overseas military cemeteries, and 25 memorials,
monuments, and markers to honor those who served in World War I or
World War II. The overseas locations memorialize more than 218,000
Americans with nearly125,000 gravesites, and commemorate an
additional 94,000 on "Tablets of the Missing." |
In Arlington National Cemetery, 3rd U.S.
Infantry Regiment Soldiers (The Old Guard), U.S. Marine
Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company Marines, U.S. Navy
Ceremonial Guardsmen, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard members,
and U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard members will
place more than 250,000 grave decorating flags. The flags
will remain through Memorial Day.
The numbers are
staggering, but they do not account for thousands more
buried in state veterans' cemeteries throughout the country.
The numbers also tell a story. These heroes hailed
from every town and city in America. They came from every
walk of life - young men and women straight out of high
school and college to farmers, policemen, teachers, doctors,
lawyers - you name it. Their ethnic backgrounds are equally
as diverse. But they all had one thing in common - they
served our nation during times of peace and war. They served
as shields for America to keep war from reaching our front
door. Unfortunately, too many lost their lives in foreign
lands never to see their families again.
Today, we
are faced with the grim reality that the number of
fatalities since we began operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
is up to more than 6,400. Every one of those losses is a
loss to our nation, a loss to our military, and, most
importantly, a loss to the families who grieve.
On
this Memorial Day, at 3 p.m., wherever you are, I encourage
you to pause and participate in the National Moment of
Remembrance established by Congress. This is a moment of
reflection and an opportunity to demonstrate our gratitude
for our fallen warriors.
On Memorial Day and every
day, let's continue to make sure our heroes are never
forgotten.
I thank you for your service and wish you
a safe holiday weekend.
By USAF Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew
Air Force District of
Washington Commander
Air Force News Service
Copyright 2012
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