Maple Hill Memorial Day Program
The following is an excerpt from the Monday, May 25 program
American Legion Post 586 Commander Melissa Fowle
Morning. It's wonderful to have everyone out here today. And I want to say a few thank-yous to our police department, who helped us with our parade route and made sure everyone was safe. To our fire department EMS, we thank you for coming out here. And of course, all the children love the fire truck and sirens.
I also want to thank the Girl Scouts for placing the poppies on our American Legion auxiliary graves, as well as the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts who would come out here to help decorate all the flags you see honoring our veterans.
So today it's a solemn day. It's not just a day to have a three-day weekend, no school, no work, going to barbecues and parties. Today is a day that we honor those who have come before us to protect not only our land, but to protect our rights and freedoms as American citizens.
And at this point, I just want to let you know, one of those flags is on my uncle's grave.
Our family is a Gold Star family, and as a kid, I didn't really realize what that was because grandma had my uncle's picture proudly displayed in her home, as well as his medals - Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. And there was a letter that she had sent that came back to her; he never got to read it. And as kids, we didn't know. We're like, “Well, why don't you open it, grandma?” Not realizing how much pain that probably caused her. But she was also gentle with us in a time where being an American soldier was not very thought well of it was during the Vietnam War. But our family was always so proud to have military members no matter when they served.
And when you get a chance this weekend, talk to those who have served. Find out what they did. Find out the stories in your own family for those who gave their lives for our country. For those who are serving now. Maybe you could find out who they are and just go and talk to them. Go see what they need.
And that's a great way that we can continue the legacy that has been left to us by the men and women who have gone before, sacrificing their lives for our country.
Third District Commander Brian Fowle
I bring you greetings from the Thundering Third District of the American Legion and from our 39 posts throughout the seven counties around here. It is such a great turnout for today's memorial ceremony and parade. It was great to see everybody along the parade route, just honoring our flag and honoring our Memorial Day. It is just heartwarming to see all the patriotism and those who have chosen to come out.
I would like to thank our local VFW post and Tipp City for also supporting this event by all participating in our honor guard.
Sons of the American Legion Commander Dale Epperson
Behind every name on a memorial and every star on our cemeteries is a deeply personal story of loss. Behind them are families who bury pain that lasts a lifetime. It is our responsibility as citizens to ensure that these stories are not forgotten. On this Memorial Day, let us honor the fallen by reaching out to veterans in our town and neighborhoods, checking on our Gold Star families, and passing on their legacy of courage to the next generation. Let their sacrifice inspire us to build a stronger, kinder community. Thank you, and let us never forget.
Sons of the American Legion Chaplain Blake Bashore
United States is a very unique and special place for us all, as well as for many others around the world. We're a beacon of hope, dreams, and prosperity to many Americans and to those who can't achieve their dreams in their own country. One such person is a 41-year-old man I work with and his family. They left everything they had behind in the Philippines due to the Chinese and Sinaloa drug cartel operations in 2022.
He ended up settling down in a very nice and safe neighborhood where he bought a new home for himself and his family to be safe in. He's achieved the American dream. I'm twenty-one years young now, and it looks like I'll be able to buy my own place ho soon and move out of my mom's house. There aren't many other countries in the world where you can do that.
Which only proves how great our country truly is. I say this because everyone who has achieved success couldn't have done any of that without the sacrifice of the people in uniform who fought for our country, came home, and those who didn't come home.
Whether the men or women who fought to keep our country and our people safe and free died at Morristown, Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Omaha Beach, Sicily, Saint-Tropez, Iwo Jima, Midway, Korea, Vietnam, and all the other wars and battles afterward. All of these men and women we honor today across two hundred and fifty years of history share something in common.
They sacrificed their lives and hope for a better country and future for the people of their country. Our history as Americans has been all about perseverance and doing what other nations couldn't. In America, it doesn't matter what your name is, where you come from, what you look like, where you went to school, or even if you went to school. If you have the drive to work hard, work smart, you will succeed. That is what makes America the country it is. God bless you all.
American Legion Auxiliary President Sheri Matthews
I'd like to tell you a little bit about the poppies that you see this time of year. May 22nd is National Poppy Day. The idea of the poppy as a memorial flower to those who died in the First World War appeared as naturally as little wildflowers that emerge from the soil and grow in the fields of France and Flanders Fields.
The flower, the one touch of beauty that survived amid the terrible destruction of war, the soldiers of all nations came to look upon the poppy as the living symbol of the sacrifices that had been made by their fellow soldiers who had died in the war. Memories of the war dead always bring thoughts of those who did not die, but who came back to years of hardship and suffering, a fate that seemed at times to be worse than death.
The poppy provided a way to honor the dead soldiers by giving service to the living victims of the war. Wearing the little red poppy signifies honoring the dead and helping the living. The nationwide Memorial Poppy Campaign was begun by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary in 1921.
Flanders Field
by Lieutenant Colonel John McCray
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Tipp City Police and Fire/EMS Chaplain Mark Plummer
We're so blessed here in Tip City to have the men and women that protect us every day. A lot of times we don't see them unless we need them, but they're always there, they're always working, and we're so blessed to have them.
I want you to just listen to these words. I think you'll find them touching as they touched me. Together today, we gather not simply for a holiday, but for a sacred remembrance. Memorial Day calls us to pause from our busy schedules, family cookouts, and long weekends to remember the men and women who laid down their lives for this nation.
We remember those who never came home. We remember those who stood for something greater than themselves. We remember those who believed freedom was worth defending at any cost. There's a line that I really love from a Billy Ray Cyrus song, “All gave some and some gave all.” And I think it's very fitting today to use some of the words of that song.
Those words remind us that every person who has worn the uniform has sacrificed something. But today, we especially honor those who gave everything. Billy Ray's song goes on to say, “Some stood through the red, white and blue, and some had to fall.” Throughout our history, brave Americans stood in places of danger, so others could live in peace, so we could live in peace, so we could be here today on this beautiful day.
That's why Memorial Day is more than just patriotism. It's gratitude. It's humility. It remembers because freedom is never free. Every liberty we enjoy today has been protected by the sacrifice of those men and women. The freedom to worship, the freedom to speak, the freedom to raise our families in peace in this beautiful town.
The freedom to gather here openly today. These blessings did not simply happen by accident. They were preserved by courage and paid for by sacrifices. And so the song says, “When you think of me, think of all your liberties and recall, some gave all. Some gave all.”
What a powerful challenge for us today. When we enjoy the freedom of America, we should remember the cost behind it. Behind every flag waving in the breeze is a story. Behind every white cross in a military cemetery is a name, a family, a dream, a life willing to offer a sacrifice to others. It costs something.
Many who died in service of this country were young people. They had hopes and plans. Some wanted to be teachers, farmers, own their own business, serve their community as firefighters or police officers, mothers, fathers, and yeah, I bet some even pastors. Yet they answered the call of duty because they believed in something bigger than themselves.
Today we also remember the families left behind, the Gold Star mothers and fathers, the widows and widowers, and the children. Their sacrifice lives on long after the battlefield has gone quiet.
So how should we honor the fallen today? First, by remembering them. Tell their stories. Visit memorials and cemeteries. This is so important. Teach the next generation that freedom has a price.
Second, by living worthy of their sacrifice. We honor them not merely with words, but by being good citizens, loving our neighbors, serving our communities, and protecting the values which they died for, which they gave their very lives to.
And finally, by never taking our freedom for granted, we live in the greatest country in the world.
speaker-4 (24:22.2)
So my friends, today as we gather under the red, white and blue, under the red, white and blue, our flag.
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