Hundreds gather to remember those who gave all
State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, left, and Orin Hatton of the Office of Finance and Planning for the National Cemetery Administration place a wreath Sunday.
Kate Matthews from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs plays the bagpipes Sunday at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.
Members of Canonsburg VFW gave a rifle salute and played taps Sunday at a Memorial Day service at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
Jim Smith and 10-year-old Devon Hawk perform before a Memorial Day service Sunday with the 1913 Blue and Gray Reunion Band at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders get ready before a Memorial Day ceremony Sunday at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
Hundreds gathered on the lawn of National Cemetery of the Alleghenies on a sunny and hot Sunday morning to remember those who gave their all in the name of the nation’s freedom.
The ground on which we stand is hallowed, said Orin Hatton, a retired U.S. Navy veteran who now works for the Office of Finance and Planning for the National Cemetery Administration in Washington, D.C.
“This is a special day of remembrance of those who died in their service to America,” Hatton said. “As President Lincoln said, they gave their last full measure of devotion. And he knew all too well the cost of freedom.”
Hatton read excerpts from a letter that was the last written by a U.S. Marine to his wife, telling her he would die to give one person a chance at freedom.
“I am here because I want to be here,” he wrote from the battlegrounds of the Middle East.
Hatton said those who have fought in battles have chosen that life.
“For each name engraved in marble and granite here, there is someone who has been left at home,” he said. “They too deserve our remembrance. We have a solemn duty to remember.”
“If you truly want to honor them, bring your children and grandchildren here so they can learn the lesson of patriotism,” he added.
State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson Hills, reflected on the beginnings of Decoration Day, how the day had been known until it was renamed Memorial Day.
“It is a time to remember the sacrifice of the men and women who died serving this country,” he said.
Reschenthaler encouraged those at the ceremony to honor service by doing their own acts of service whether it was cutting an elderly neighbor’s grass or sending a care package to one of the troops.
“Whatever you do in service for others, do it in memory of those who gave all,” the senator said.
Every day is Memorial Day at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, said its director Ronald Hestdalen.
“Each day, we dedicate to those who answered the call to serve,” he said.
Some people often get confused as to what Memorial Day really is, said Tim Smith, a member of the Patriot Guard Riders’ Pennsylvania chapter. About two dozen riders from across Western Pennsylvania participated in the program at the cemetery.
“They think it is the time to thank a living vet,” Smith said. “But we honor the ones who have gone before us, the ones who have given their lives in the line of duty as well as those who served our country and passed later.”
“While we appreciate the thanks this week, this one is for the ones who have gone before us,” he added. “The ones who gave it all.”