VFW holds Memorial Day ceremony

Only a handful of people showed up for the Memorial Day ceremony at the Plains Cemetery, but VFW Post 3596 is determined to honor fallen veterans the way it was first intended - on May 30 - the date first selected following the Civil War.

"We have assembled here to pay tribute to the men and women of our country who have served in the United States armed forces who fought in defense of this country and for the preservation of our way of life, and who lost their lives at sea," said Post Commander Ron Kilbury at the start of the ceremony last Tuesday evening. "As long as two comrades survive – so long will the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States render tribute to our heroic dead. On this day, forever separated from our heroic dead, we are assembled once again to express sincere reverence," added Kilbury, who served six years in the Navy and 20 years in the Army.

The ceremony this year was held at the gravesite of Wesley Ekstrom, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War who passed away in 2009. The VFW selects a different veteran gravesite each year where they gather for the first part of the annual event. Kilbury said the ceremony was dedicated to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who gave their lives for their country.

Once Kilbury was finished with his remarks, Post Chaplain Noah Hathorne, a Marine Corps veteran, led the group in prayer, followed by Air Force veteran Larry Smith laying a red carnation to symbolize devotion and everlasting remembrance and Navy veteran Bill Beck laying a white carnation to symbolize purity. Army veteran Greg Davis placed a small wreath, followed by Deborah Davis, president of the VFW Auxiliary, who placed a blue carnation as an emblem of eternity immortalizing the brave deeds of service members. VFW members saluted while others placed a hand over their heart while Tracy Muse played "Taps" on an electronic bugle.

Once the ceremony was completed at the cemetery, the entourage moved to the bridge next to the county fairgrounds, where they formed up in the middle of the bridge for the second part of the commemoration. Beck tossed a small wreath into the Clark Fork River to honor lost members of the sea services - the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Memorial Day was first established in Waterloo, N.Y. in 1866, but was then called Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers who were killed in the Civil War. Southern states didn't initially celebrate the holiday, but held its own celebrations for Confederate military members. In 1968, the holiday was changed to Memorial Day and three years later it was switched from May 30 to the last Monday in May. Most VFW posts, however, believe the real meaning behind Memorial Day was lost by moving it to a Monday in order to give people a three-day weekend.

"Memorial Day is for the veteran who did not make it out of uniform," said Kilbury, who said that Armed Forces Day is a holiday for those still in uniform and Veterans Day is for all veterans, past and present. Greg Davis, who retired from the Army in 1998 and is the post senior vice commander, is pleased that the VFW continues to recognize May 30 as Memorial Day. "It's not just a three-day weekend. It's an honor I hope we pass on to our younger generation of veterans," said the 60-year-old Davis.

"The arbitrary day the government picked is not the Memorial Day that Congress set up. It's important to have Memorial Day on Memorial Day," said Kilbury, who retired from the military in 2010.