Indoor Elk River Memorial Day keynote focuses on those — including locals — who made the ultimate sacrifice
by Jim Boyle
Editor
The Elk River Memorial Day program focused the spotlight on the fallen veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to the country, including six men who grew up roughly 10 miles or less to the site of the 2024 program.
Retired U.S. Army Special Forces Lt. Col. and Family Physician, Group Surgeon for 5th Special Forces Group Dr. Shawn Alderman, who provided the vision for Magnus Veterans Wellness Center in Dayton, brought the message home that people are charged to honor and remember, lest we forget.
“We remember that there is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s own life for others,” Alderman said, before launching into a powerful listing of fallen soldiers who came from the Elk River area before sacrificing their lives for the United States of America. He began the reading of each name the same way with two words: “We remember.”
•Pvt. Albert E. Johnson, U.S. Army, killed in action, WWI, Heurne, Belgium, Nov. 3, 1918.
•1st Lt. Donald Doyle, U.S. Air Force, KIA, WWII, European Theater, Oct. 12, 1944.
•Sgt. 1st Class Cecil T. Veit, U.S. Army, KIA, Korean War, Republic of South Korea, Sept. 28, 1950.
•Pfc. James T. Pepper, U.S. Marine Corps, KIA, Vietnam War, Quang Tin Province of South Vietnam, Sept. 6, 1967.
•Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Dorff, U.S. Army, KIA, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mosul, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2004.
•Cpl. Sean A. Osterman, USMC, KIA, Operation Enduring Freedom, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 16, 2010.
“We remember all those who died,” Alderman said, before asking more than 200 people inside the Furniture and Things Community Event Center consider what Memorial Day means to them, and what it might mean to the fallen soldiers who had their names read before all in attendance and the fact that everyone there was thinking about them.
“If things had been different, we could have asked them,” Alderman said. “We could have hopped in our cars and visited each of those people and their families to thank them for their service. It would take 10 minutes or less from this very spot to reach any of them at their childhood homes.
“Imagine them... Some of them (would have been) fathers, some grandfathers, some great-grandfathers. Oh, to hear them tell their stories of the families they loved, the children they raised and all of the great things they went on to do for our communities.”
Alderman, whose wellness center has more than 700 members now, said that is what veterans think about on this sacred day.
“Many of us think of the fallen and wonder what it would be like to have a life with them or even just one more minute with our brothers and sisters who answered the call of service and laid down their lives to pay for our futures,” he said. “We think about how close we were.”
Alderman asked for the crowd to self-assess how Americans have done as a people to remember them, and never forget.
“Have we done enough to honor them and their family?” he asked “Did we do enough then?”
David Boily, the commander of the Elk River-Rogers Post 5518 Veterans of Foreign Wars, also spoke to the crowd about the fallen, and noted with pride the number of honored guests and VIPs in attendance was too long to recognize all of them by name but noted the real VIPs and guests were not there.
“They’re in cemeteries, having made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said before talking about the average age of soldiers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines who have served in various wartimes based on some quick Google research in preparing his remarks.
In World War I, the average age of soldiers was 24 years old. In World War II it grew to 26 years of age. It decreased to 22 years of age in Vietnam. The retired Marine also pointed out the average age of a deployed combat Marine is 25 years old. The average age for those deployed overall is 33 years of age.
Boily even came across a World War I soldier who was only 12. Others who have served have been as old as 60 years of age.
“When you go to these cemeteries, the average age of the real VIPs and the guests of honor is about 25 years old,” Boily said. “Those people didn’t make it very far and gave their life to their country. They were just beginning to grow and expand, maybe starting a family or thinking about it.”
Vaughn Smith, the commander of the Elk River American Legion, told the crowd remembering the fallen once a year is not enough.
“The widows, widowers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children remember every day,” he stated. “The empty seat at the dinner table, the smaller gathering on Thanksgiving, and the voice of a loved one heard only as a distant memory are constant reminders that they are gone.”
He also said: “Memorial Day is not about picnics and parades – although, there is nothing wrong with enjoying and celebrating our American way of life. But Memorial Day is about remembering those who made our way of life possible.”
Alderman talked about ways to honor the fallen.
“We honor them by making the best use of our todays,” he said. “We honor them through service to others. We honor them by lifting up our neighbors, our veterans, and their families.
“In a world so focused on immediate personal gratification, we honor them by taking the time to focus on someone else or something bigger than ourselves. We live in a time when less than 1% of our population shoulders the burden of our nation’s defense. We can honor our fallen by answering the same call to serve or by bridging the gap between those who go to war and those who send them.”
He noted America has soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines currently deployed in harm’s way, and many countrymen do not realize this.
“They are disengaged and disinterested because they don’t understand that we all bear the cost of war,” Alderman said. “We honor our fallen by being engaged, fully understanding the cost of war, being prepared to care for our warriors upon their return, or wrapping up our collective arms around the families of those who will never return.”
That comment led him to mention Gold Star families, who are the embodiment of the ultimate sacrifice and a shining example of what it means to honor the fallen.
“They endured unfathomable pain and sorrow following an unexpected knock on the door,” he said. “They reached depths of despair most of us thankfully will never know. They leaned on one another and were boosted by the comrades of their loved one. Still bearing the scars of war, they move forward, serve other Gold Star families, serve their communities and fully honor the legacy of sacrifice.”
Elk River Mayor John Dietz, one of the guiding lights for Elk River Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, said the Elk River community has a lot to be proud of in its efforts to support the families of active military and veterans as well as the fallen. He led the effort to restore the Memorial Day parade three years ago, although the parade was canceled on Monday due to rain that intensified during the Memorial Day program.
“I guess I didn’t realize I would have to fight Mother Nature so much,” Dietz said. “I’m 1 for 3 so far with the (outdoor) parade.”
The rain, however, didn’t stop him from talking about what Memorial Day means to him. As he pondered the question on a recent 5-mile walk to clear his head and think more clearly, pride welled up in him.
He praised the Elk River American Legion Honor Guard for its dedication and commitment to being at the funeral of every veteran in Elk River.
“They have such a presence in this community,” he said, noting the members of the honor guard were at the Orono Cemetery on a recent Sunday morning when a woman came from Florida to bury her father.
“I think they should stand up and be recognized,” he said as the crowd applauded these men as they rose.
Dietz also considered what the community can do for the fallen.
“To me, we can take care of the veterans that are still with us,” he said. “I think that would be something that the fallen would want us to do.”
Dietz also offered praise for several organizations that do a lot for veterans and their families, including the American Legion Post, the Legion’s ladies auxiliary and the Elk River-Rogers VFW.
He also mentioned Elk River Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, which organized the parade along with the city of Elk River. The American Legion, its Auxiliary and the VFW organized the Memorial Day program.
“I am very proud of the way our community has different ways to help veterans in our community,” Dietz said. “It’s not always easy. A lot of them have tough times, but we persevere, and I think the community has stepped up.
“Today (Memorial Day) is about the fallen; today is not a day to celebrate,” he said. “I hope you all enjoy the day and remember the fallen.”
That includes Pvt. Albert E. Johnson, 1st Lt. Donald Doyle, Sgt. 1st Class Cecil T. Veit, Pfc. James T. Pepper, Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Dorff, and Cpl. Sean A. Osterman, who were all killed in action after growing up in the Elk River area.
It also includes veterans who died in the last 12 months, including James Acers, Stephen Lindberg, Russell Anderson, Darrell Madson, Michael Antonson, Robert Maland, James Carrier, Gary Munger, Thomas Downing, Joseph Quast, Bob Hackenmueller, Fred Temple and Thomas Hallaway. They were recognized at the May 27 program, and taps was played after all of their names were read.
Most Popular
Comments / 0