Local veterans and community members paused Monday to reflect for the annual Memorial Day observance.
More than 1.3 million Americans have died in combat zones since 1775 and while other days are set aside to honor those who have served, Memorial Day is a more solemn occasion, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield garrison commander Col. Gabe Weaver pointed out.
“We’re not here to celebrate,” he said at the community observance at the American Legion Post 168, Fred L. Ginter Post. “Today is sacred. Today is reserved for those who did not come home. It has been dedicated to those soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The best way to honor those service members who were killed in combat isn’t with words, Col. Weaver, but through deeds.
“The greatest tribute we can pay our fallen brothers and sisters is not my words today but how we live our lives tomorrow. We honor them by living with purpose, by taking care of one another and by striving to be worthy of their sacrifice.”
Col. Weaver said the garrison and the community are entrusted to taking care of the soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart and their families.
“Our soldiers train every day to protect our freedoms,” he said. “These young men and women are fully aware of the dangerous world we live in and they choose to serve anyway. They do so because they are supported by communities like this one.”
The current soldiers also follow the legacy of the nation’s fallen heroes, Col. Weaver said, and that of the portraits of those former service members adorning walls of American Legion halls such as Post 168.
“We are bound together in that legacy,” he said. “The relationship between our installation and this community is strong because we understand the sacrifice.”
Col. Weaver acknowledged the veterans, many of whom served alongside others who fell in combat, and to the Gold Star families.
“To Gold Star families, your sacrifice is immeasurable and enduring,” he said. “You bear the quiet, everyday cost of our freedom. Our military and this nation owe you a debt of gratitude we could never repay. We will never forget your loved ones and we will never forget you.”
