News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A color guard of John Berry, Elton Wilmot, George Winterfeld and Kenneth Fitch posted colors and a rifle squad from G Troop, 1-82nd Cavalry, Oregon National Guard fired the 21-gun salute.
Pastor Harold Gott offered a prayer in remembrance and Chief Petty Officer Alexander "Sandy" MacKenzie delivered the keynote address.
MacKenzie, who served 10 years in the Vietnam War as a SEAL and on riverine patrols, earning many citations including the Silver Star, told the gathering that Americans must reaffirm the ethic of service to community and country in our daily lives in order to maintain the values and institutions that made America strong.
"We need to remember who we are as Americans and that starts right at home, Chief MacKenzie said.
"Just because I got my discharge papers in '76 doesn't mean the end of my obligation or my service to this country," he said.
He urged those gathered to ask themselves how they can serve their community and their fellow Americans.
"There is no greater way to honor the men and women who gave their lives than to do that," MacKenzie said.
The ceremony closed with a prayer from veterans group chaplain Everett Johnston, followed by the 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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