It was a standing-room only crowd at the Clearwater American Legion Monday for Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony.

 

The morning started with the Clearwater and Clear Lake Color Guard visiting six different cemeteries, reading the names of veterans buried there and recognizing them all with a 21-gun salute before playing Taps, the bugle call played at flag ceremonies and military funerals.

 

Followers gathered at the Clearwater Legion to hear guest speaker Brandon Hanebuth give the Memorial Day message.

 

Hanebuth said he recently joined other public agencies welcoming back and laying to rest a World War II veteran who made the ultimate sacrifice. The soldier’s remains were escorted from Minneapolis Airport to his home town of Willmar and saluted along the way by police, fire, EMS and military.

 

“As we listen in sorrow and ponder our thoughts and respect today,  let us not forget the hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and missing in action comrades from over 17 engagements that are still unaccounted for. Our prayers stay with them and their families.”

 

Hanebuth spoke about how for many Americans, Memorial Day marks the start of summer vacation.

 

“With the weather today, it’s a great time to be on the lake or sitting around a campfire, though this is not the meaning of Memorial Day. Today is much more than the start of our summer vacation. Those of us sitting in this room today understand the true meaning of Memorial Day and why we gather together tody.

 

Hanebuth said he recently talked with a family of five that was preparing for a weekend at the lake. 

 

“As the family got into the SUV, the father said, this is going to be a great weekend. I hope it doesn’t rain all weekend. I hope it’s worth it.”

 

Hanebuth said that question, “Was it worth it? is a question sometimes politically loaded and asked of family members and war buddies.

 

Marine Corps General John Kelly, who lost his youngest son, Robert in Afghanistan in 2012 was asked in an NPR interview if the loss was worth it. Kelly had the following answer.

 

“I think what I tell families now is the only person really that has the right to answer that question is the young man or woman who lost their life, and I believe they would say they were doing what they wanted to do and they were where they wanted to be. So that’s the answer. It is not for us who survive to answer it. I think it is for those young people to answer. And I think they do answer with their actions and their lives.”

 

Hanebuth spoke about Army Private 1st Class Diego Rincon of Georgia, who wrote a letter to his mother.

 

“Whether I make it or not, it’s all part of a plan. It can’t be changed. only competed,” he wrote.

 

Rincon was killed  soon after.

 

“We as Americans will always be proud of Robert Kelly, Diego Rincon and the more than one million men and women who made the supreme sacrifice for the US since our nation’s founding.

 

General Kelly was right, was it worth it was the wrong question for us to answer. Instead, we should commit ourselves to make it worth it. To us, the sacrifice of more than one million men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice was certainly worth it. But it’s certainly more complex when it’s your son, when it’s your daughter, your wife or your husband that will be sacrificed on the alter of freedom.

 

“Some veterans have said it is more difficult to send your family to war than to go yourself. We should insist that America remain the land of the free and the land where patriotism trumps politics; where the American Flag is displayed proudly and frequently; where military  veterans are society’s true heroes.

 

“We must never forget the families of our fallen. Long after the battlefield guns have been silenced and bombs stop exploding, the children of our fallen warrior will still be missing a parent. Spouses will still be without their life partners. Parents will continue to grief for their heroic sons and daughters that died way too early.

 

“We need to be there for them. Nobody can replace these fallen heroes, but we can offer shoulders to cry on, assistance with any needs they may have and assurances that their loved one’s sacrifice will not be forgotten. 

 

“We do this as we gather here today, in the firing of the volleys with the rifles, as we post flags at gravesites prior to Memorial Day, as we proudly display the photos as well as the awards that those individuals have received, and as we gather with friends, families and members of the community to keep the memories of those fallen heroes in our thoughts, words and actions.

 

“While there’s nothing unpatriotic today about a auto race, a trip to the beach or a barbecue, we are here today to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day.

 

“This remembrance serves as a reminder that while some gave all, we should more willingly give much to help keep our nation worthy of their sacrifices. 

 

“It is up to all of us to make it worth it.”

 

After Hanebuth’s message, John Jordan and Rick Stang sang Proud to Be An American by Lee Greenwood and I Pledge My Allegiance by the Gaither Vocal Band. Then those in attendance filed outside for a 21-gun salute.