Sgt. Bryce D. Howard, U.S. Army.
Sgt. Jason D. Peto, United States Marine Corps.
Pfc. Christopher Ian Walz, U.S. Army.
Their names and photos were among those that adorned the bandstand at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a reminder of the day’s significance throughout Monday’s annual Memorial Day Observance. They, and others whose photos hung before the crowd, are among those Clark County military members who died in service to their country.
And remembering those names, Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle told the audience, is what Memorial Day is about. She read the names off the posters, her voice breaking at times, and urged the crowd to reflect on and not to forget their sacrifices.
“I ask that you take a moment today to reflect on what Memorial Day really means to you and what today in our country might look like if it were not for the men and women we lost, and those who are still fighting for us,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “Our debt of gratitude to these patriots can never be repaid.”
Hundreds gathered for the solemn ceremony, from families with young children adorned in American flag garb sprawled over the grass, to some military veterans who sat solo, bearing hats with the names of the wars in which they’d served. Dozens of American flags fluttered in the constant breeze that blew over the crowd, unfurling the largest one, the garrison flag, from its position at half-staff nearby.
The observance was filled with quiet moments of prayer, as well as the occasional burst of song from Vancouver police Officer Rey Reynolds and the 204th Army Band.
“I am standing here surrounded by patriots, by those we can see, and those we cannot see,” Reynolds told the crowd before launching into his rendition of “God Bless the USA,” by Lee Greenwood.
Tracy Fortmann, superintendent of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, said this year’s Memorial Day carried special significance for her. One of her favorite uncles, who served in the United States Army during the Cold War, died a month ago, leaving her family in mourning and remembrance of the beloved man from Arkansas.
“The Army gave him the training that prepared him for the rest of his life,” she said.
She commiserated with those who have lost loved ones who served in the military. Still, noted Fortmann, she was lucky: All her family members who served in the military ultimately came home.
“No one can ever truly understand the depth of sorrow of Gold Star family members,” she said.
Marine Corp Lt. Col. Scottie Redden, inspector instructor for the 6th Engineer Support Battalion in Portland, thanked those Gold Star families in the audience for their sacrifices.
“The men and women who have given their lives and service to the nation are, indisputably, heroes,” Redden said. “When the country called, they answered.”
But Redden also asked the crowd to reflect on the 82,000 U.S. military who remain missing in action from all conflicts since World War II. He noted it was just last fall that the USS Indianapolis, a United States Navy heaver cruiser torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II, was found. Only 316 of the 1,195 crewmen aboard survived.
Redden’s Swan Island-based battalion is among those that conducts repatriation ceremonies for soldiers returned after being missing in action — a “sacred duty,” Redden said.
“We will never forget them,” Redden said. “We will never stop looking to bring them home.”
