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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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'Remember soldiers everyday' |
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
Remember those who have served. Remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Remember those who are serving their country in the military today. Remember them all not just today, but every day was the message given by the guest speaker at the Memorial Day observance at Veterans Memorial Park in Wapakoneta.
During his speech, Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick Pepple implored the more than 100 people in attendance to pay their respect and honor those who offered their last full measure. During a prayer at the end of his talk, Pepple asked God to let the soldier fighting now know that they are “forever in our hearts, in our prayers and on our minds.”
The Rev. Greg Roberts, retiring pastor of Salem United Methodist Church, gave the invocation and the benediction at the service, and Wapakoneta VFW 8445 member Jack Evans placed the wreath at the memorial.
The judge, a military history enthusiast, started his speech with a history lesson on the conception of the Memorial Day tradition starting not with politicians and government officials but with the American people, with the “mothers, and widows and daughters of fallen Confederate soldiers who set aside a day to decorate the graves of their fallen loved ones.
“The idea was so moving is spread throughout the country,” Pepple said. “We are here to remember all of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and all of those who are paying the debt of freedom because freedom has a cost and every generation has had to suffer the pains of paying that price.”
He asked those in attendance to remember their loved ones who gave of themselves to serve in the armed forces.
Pepple recalled one of “his own heroes,” his uncle Harold Rayle, of Fostoria. He was drafted six months prior to Pearl Harbor and thought he would be in for a couple of years but served much longer.
Rayle was a member of Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Infantry and landed on Omaha Beach, but he never talked about his experiences. When his son was in the infantry in Vietnam, he opened up and started talking about the war and did not stop for approximately five hours.
“The stories were incredible, but he was a quiet guy who never talked about it,” Pepple said. “It wasn’t about glory, it was about service.”
The Waynesfield native thanked those who served, those who are serving and those who died for the United States and for freedom. He said he hopes this country never gets to the point where Americans do not “say that loud and clear and consistently.”
Pepple then read stanzas from a poem written by Barbara Boyer, who served 30 years in the U.S. Navy and was a friend of Pepple’s late wife, Diane about the fact “only teamwork gets the job done” and “freedom is daily earned.”
He shared a story about Sgt. Donald Bollinger, who re-enlisted as a tank commander to help the younger soldiers. The judge recalled those from Auglaize County and then read a list of names — the names of soldiers who died during this month.
“They gave their lives this month in service of their country,” Pepple said. “Some died in collisions, some died in friendly fire, some died with explosive devices planted by the enemy — they all died in service of their country, fulfilling their orders, paying the price for our freedom.
“So many and the list will grow, but they will not be forgotten,” he said. “Let us each today keep these folks in our prayers, keep our men and women in harm’s way and in service to our country, whether training here, whether serving stateside or anywhere around the world, and paying the price for our freedom — this day is about remembering them.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 May 2009 )
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