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A soft and constant rustle of leaves from the tall trees, barely
audible, seemed to be speaking in reverence to the hallowed grounds
they adorned as the Honoring our Heroes ceremony took place at the
Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Medal of Honor Grove on
September 24, 2016.
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A military multiservice honor guard detail proudly presents the
colors during the Freedoms Foundation's Medal of Honor Grove Honor
our Heroes Ceremony on Sep. 24, 2016 in Phoenixville, PA. Broader
diversity than just their service affiliation, the group is
comprised of active-duty, Guard and Reserve members. (U.S. Air
National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Christopher Botzum)
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Before the event even kicked off, a Pennsylvania Army National
Guard H-60 Blackhawk helicopter from Fort Indiantown Gap,
Pennsylvania, made a whirlwind entrance bringing in guests of honor
to the ceremony, among those, The Adjutant General of Pennsylvania
Brig. Gen. Tony Carrelli.
The helipad was named after Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, as he was a key founder of the Freedoms
Foundation in 1949 and served as the first foundation chairman.
Longtime workers and volunteers of the grove could not recount
the helipad's use as a landing zone since its naming in the 1960s.
As hundreds gathered on an overlooking hill seated on blankets
and folding chairs, Pennsylvania State Rep., Andy Dinniman (Pa. 19th
District) emceed the ceremony.
“Every state was given an acre
of land, including an acre for the District of Columbia and Puerto
Rico; on this land, an obelisk resembling that of the Washington
Monument,” said Dinniman. “On and surrounding each monument, are the
names of every single [Medal of Honor recipient] from that state.
Completed in the late 1970s, the Medal of Honor Grove now
consists of more than 52 woodland acres of rolling-hills. More than
4 miles of paved walkways guide visitors past out coves designated
by state.
The day was not only a commemoration to heroes, but
a remembrance approximating the end of various U.S. wars, such as:
100th anniversary of World War I, 75th anniversary of World War II,
65th anniversary of the Korean War, 50th anniversary of the Vietnam
War and the 25th anniversary of the Gulf War.
“Acts of
service are acts of love,” said Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mike Stack. “I
was blessed to serve for a number of years in the National Guard.”
Among the other speakers at the ceremony was retired Army Col.
Walter Marm, Jr., sole surviving Pennsylvania native Medal of Honor
recipient.
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Retired Army Col. Walter Marm, Jr., the sole surviving
native-Pennsylvanian Medal of Honor recipient (left), Pennsylvania
Lt. Gov. Mike Stack and Pennsylvania Adjutant General Brig. Gen.
Anthony Carrelli join in signing “America the Beautiful” during the
closing of the Honoring our Heroes Ceremony held at the Freedoms
Foundation's, Medal of Honor Grove on Sep. 24, 2016 in Phoenixville,
PA. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Christopher Botzum)
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“I was in the first major battle in Vietnam, call
the battle of la Drang Valley,” said Marm. “Mel Gibson made a movie
of the battle, ‘“We Were Soldiers”' based on that very intense,
3-day battle. We were surrounded and outnumbered 10 – 1. After the
battle, 79 Americans were killed in action and 121 [were] wounded of
the 450 men.
“We're honoring all the veterans from all the
wars here today and that's very special. I wear the Medal of Honor
for all the brave men and women I served with. It's as much their
medal as it in mine,” Marm said.
Marm, a 30-year veteran,
served out his final seven years in the service locally as a senior
adviser with the Army Reserve at the former Willow Grove Naval Air
Station, Horsham, Pennsylvania.
“This is a place of true
American heroes,” said Carrelli. “To be in the presence of a Medal
of Honor recipient is awe inspiring.”
“We are forever linked
with our servicemen of the past,” said Carrelli. “Since 9/11, we've
deployed nearly 35,000 Guardsmen in support of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The spirit of the American service member has remained unchanged.”
Fewer than 3,500 individuals have been recipients of the Medal
of Honor, most posthumously. Among them is one women from Kentucky,
two sets of father/son recipients, the youngest person being an
11-year-old drummer serving in the Union Army in 1862.
Bordering historic Valley Forge National Park, the Medal of Honor
Grove is a local treasure in our own backyard, not a place of
interest just for serviceman, but for every American.
Learn more
about the Medal of Honor Grove
By U.S. Air National Guard Master Sgt. Christopher Botzum
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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