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FORT POLK, La. -- "Always at stake are the freedoms we have
fought so hard to defend. There will always be those who will want
to take away our freedoms and way of life. At its heart, it's a test
of wills, and we as a nation through generations of veterans, have
shown that we will prevail." - Lt. Col. Charles Fisher, 94th BSB,
4th Brigade, 10th Mtn. Div.
Arthur Ash once said, “True
Heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to
surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at
whatever cost.”
On Nov. 11 every year America honors its
veterans. There will be ceremonies, parades with flags waving, and
moments of silence held all across the country to honor the men and
women that served in this great nations military.
On Nov. 7,
2014, Soldiers from the 94th Brigade Support Battalion, 10th
Mountain Division and the Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery held a
Flags in Ceremony to honor the men and women who served our nations
military but are no longer with us.
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Spc. Matthew Corfman, Headquarters Company, 94th BSB, 4th BCT,
10th Mtn. Div. says a prayer as he places a flag at the headstone of
a veteran ... while over 100 of his fellow soldiers were placing
flags on other veterans' headstones at the CENLA Veterans Cemetery
on November 7, 2014 in association of Veterans Day on November 11th. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. David Edge, PAO NCO)
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“The service was beautiful. We come to the ceremony every
year. It means a lot that the military continues to honor
the memory of the service members past,” said Tilli Walker.
Her son William Walker Jr. was one of the first to be buried
at the Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery when it opened in
2011.
During the cool crisp morning, as the 94th
Soldiers passed by each headstone they placed a small
American flag to honor a debt that can never be repaid. It
was not lost to any of the Soldiers, the ultimate price that
some had paid to defend what that small American flag means.
“It is a honor as a service member to be
able to honor those who have served before us and given the
ultimate sacrifices for our great nation,” said U.S. Army
Command Sgt. Maj. Eddie Camp, senior enlisted advisor, 94th
BSB, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div.
More than 100 Soldiers
from the 94th BSB volunteered their time for a cause that
they found to be worthy.
“I volunteered so that I
could honor the veterans that paved the way before us and to
remind myself to try and pave the way for future Soldiers,”
said Spc. Jessica Alvarez, Company C, 94th BSB, 4th BCT,
10th Mtn. Div. “I feel that it is very important for today's
Soldiers to see who came before us because they played an
important role in why we have the freedoms we enjoy today.”
Some Soldiers view the ceremony as continuing America's
legacy of taking care of its veterans.
“No country
honors its veteran the way America does. It's part of our
tradition that is good and right that we never forget our
fallen brothers and sisters sacrifices,” said Capt. Levi
Hazlitt, commander, Headquarters Company, 94th BSB, 4th BCT,
10th Mtn. Div. “I think that it is very important for our
current Soldiers that are still serving and sacrificing
today to learn these traditions so that they can carry this
legacy forward.”
America has accepted the world's
tired and poor, its weak and worn and then forged the
huddled masses into a mighty nation. A nation that is
willing to fight for the world's tired and poor and its weak
and worn. Thousands of service members have fought in wars
past. One thing is for certain, as long as this nation has a
need, our brave will answer.
By U.S. Army Sgt. David Edge
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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