There’s always talk about Memorial Day kicking off summer or being a time for cookouts, but the keynote speaker at an event Monday reminded that this most solemn of holidays means much more.
“Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the past, to take a look at the present and to renew our contract to the future of America,” U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dave Dinkins said.
Dinkins was speaking during Mount Airy’s annual Memorial Day observance honoring those making the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
Those doing so paid with more than their lives in the present, said Pastor D.M. Dalton, another speaker on Monday’s program, held inside the Municipal Building instead of outside as planned due to a threat of rain.
Their sacrifices also represent the lost potential of individuals struck down in their youth “who never got the opportunity to be husbands, wives or parents,” Dalton lamented.
Remembering their sacrifices is just one part of the equation — people today also have an obligation to carry on their mission, according to the keynote speaker.
“The freedom that we enjoy must be protected and defended,” added Dinkins, a member of a four-generation military family.
Along with him, this includes a grandfather serving during World War I; his father who fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War; and two sons now serving with the Navy and Marines.
Generations of Americans have fought and died in jungles, on beaches, at sea, in brutal winter conditions and other hostile settings, Dinkins added.
And today’s generation not only should remember their ultimate sacrifices, but the values military members have adhered to in paying the price to protect freedom.
“Freedom is like oxygen,” said Dalton. “It’s something we just have and take for granted.”
People generally don’t think about what freedom means unless it is threatened, which Pastor Dalton believes is happening today, making the significance of Memorial Day 2024 and honoring whose who have died all the more important.
“May we remember their sacrifices every day and not just once a year when (freedoms) are in danger of being taken away,” he observed.
Dinkins, the keynote speaker, mentioned the wartime service by his father in illustrating the kind of commitment and dedication needed to preserve the privileges enjoyed today.
The elder Dinkins fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a member of Gen. George Patton’s Third Army, being severely wounded in the process. He would recover and continue his military career in the Korean and Vietnam wars, including combat assignments during each.
“He served because it was the right thing to do,” his son told Monday’s packed house in council chambers of City Hall, where an organizer estimated that at least 100 people congregated.
They included other veterans and members of military groups, Mount Airy and Surry County elected officials and the general public simply seeking to honor the fallen.
That objective was illuminated by Commissioner Deborah Cochran’s reading of a city proclamation citing the relevance of Memorial Day and calling on everyone in town to devote proper attention to remembering the commitment and dedication of those lost.
Their deaths left a void for families, the military and the nation, Cochran noted.
Such contributions by service members should be remembered year-round, she advised. “We should especially honor them on Memorial Day.”
Monday’s program also featured a flag raising by the City of Mount Airy Honor Guard; the singing of the national anthem led by Suzanne Stewart; a group recital of the Pledge of Allegiance;
Also, a flag-folding ceremony by the North Surry High School Air Force Junior ROTC; the placing of a wreath by the city Honor Guard; and a rifle volley salute and the playing of “Taps” by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Honor Guard of Mount Airy Post 2019 and VFW Memorial Honor Guard Post 9436 from Pilot Mountain.
“I hope this ceremony touched your heart like it has mine,” Commissioner Cochran told those assembled near the end of Monday’s program.
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