Flag waving, barbecues, pancake breakfasts, fishing trips, poppy flowers, camping and Memorial Day fun are important because they represent what so many have sacrificed to bring this country, Dr. Larry Horton told a crowd of local residents Monday at Gilliland Cemetery.
“We are so fortunate to have these things because we live in a land where freedom and liberty are set as the cornerstones of our country, a country where men and women, like so many of you in this audience, have long made the sacrifice to keep us free,” Horton said.
Horton is the superintendent of School District 55 and was guest speaker during the annual Memorial Day services held Monday by local veterans groups.
When VFW Past Commander Howard Ruby asked Horton to speak, Horton thought he needed to learn more about the history of Memorial Day, he said.
“And what I found was most interesting. Three years after the Civil War ended, Major General John A. Logan, the head of an organization of union veterans, established ‘Decoration Day,’ later changed to ‘Memorial Day,’ as a day set aside to honor the Civil War dead with flowers.”
“We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance,” Logan said in a speech during the first ceremony. “Let pleasant paths of flowers invite the coming an going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided republic.”
“How fitting and appropriate these same words are today,” Horton said. Although originally dedicated to honor Civil War soldiers, by the end of World War I, Memorial Day was set aside to remember, honor and pay respect to all soldiers who have fought, to all soldiers who have lost their lives and to thank those who have stood ready to defend freedom.
“Let us all stop for a moment to show our respect and appreciation to remember and honor those who have fought, those who have given their lives and to those that stand ready to defend our freedom,” he said. “Please take time today to reflect on your own memories of what and who brings meaning to Memorial Day for you.
“Memorial Day has a different meaning for all of us depending upon our own personal experiences.”
Horton shared several of his.
His first memories of Memorial Day were flags waving, pancake breakfasts, fishing trips, barbecues, poppy flowers and parades, he said. In the sixth grade, he discovered it was more than a day off of school when he was introduced to the poem “In Flanders Fields,” composed by a World War I doctor named John McRae.
He had a new respect for Memorial Day but still no personal tie, no real meaning as to the significance of the day, he said. “My biological father had served in the Navy in World War II, but he left my mother and me when I was a baby. My mom and I lived with my grandparents, but my grandfather helped with the war effort by mining lead and zinc. He was not a soldier, so I really didn’t know any soldiers, not until my mother remarried when I was 15.”
Horton’s new stepfather quickly educated him about the pride and respect that went with being a Marine, he said. He was a man of high integrity, a man of strength and honor.
“He didn’t speak much about the time he spent in the Pacific,” Horton said. “He didn’t have to. I remember so vividly one Memorial Day in which our family visited Ft. Rosencrans National Cemetery in San Diego. My stepdad didn’t speak much that day either, but as we looked over the endless rows and rows of white marble headstones, I still remember the tears that rolled down his cheeks.”
Horton’s next important memory of Memorial Day came in 1972, he said. He had just graduated from college, gotten married and started teaching. At the same time, two of his best friends enlisted in the military.
“Andy Kiser became a Marine,” Horton said. “He was, of course, my stepdad’s favorite. Greg Torres became a pilot in the Air Force. Both were groomsmen in my wedding in 1971. Andy came home in 1972 and became a rehabilitation counselor in a VA hospital. And Greg €“ well, Greg never came home. That Memorial Day in 1972 brought home the real meaning, the real significance behind Memorial Day.”
Thirty years later, Horton’s stepfather died, he said. He had Alzheimer’s, and during the last year of his life, he didn’t recognize family members.
“He couldn’t carry on a conversation,” Horton said. “He couldn’t even feed himself. But regularly, that last year, he would start talking and then shouting as though he was back in the war.
“Much of his talking wasn’t clear, and much of his shouting I couldn’t repeat in mixed company. But much of it, he was simply shouting out names and had a very hollow, daunting look upon his face.
“My understanding and appreciation for Memorial Day had once again grown.”
Since his stepfather’s death, three soldiers have come into Horton’s life.
When he moved to Sweet Home seven years ago, he met Cmd. Sgt. Major Juan Ulep, who was born in the Philippines and moved to the United States as a young man. Ulep joined the military and served his country for 21 years in the U.S. Army and 14 years in the Oregon State Defense Force.
Ulep was in attendance Monday.
“Today, he is still serving both of his countries, the United States and the Philippines,” Horton said. “Juan is such a giving person, and he has a great passion for helping others. He has a gift for finding ways to get what he needs to help others. I’m sure that this gift was finely tuned during his time in the military. Today, he gathers textbooks, computers and medical supplies to send to the Philippines.
“Thank you, Juan. My appreciation and respect for those that serve our country has grown greatly thanks to you. It is such an honor to have you as a friend.”
The second soldier Horton mentioned is Bill Krei, vice principal at Oakridge High School. He is married to Sweet Home local Lori Wood and father to 5-year-old Katie. He also is a major in the Oregon National Guard.
Last year, Krei was called to active duty and deployed to help train the Afghan military to defend itself against the Taliban.
In September, the vehicle in which Krei was riding hit a land mine, killing two Afghan interpreters and Krei’s good friend, Capt. Bruno deSolenni.
“By the grace of God, Bill survived,” Horton said. “He came home with eight broken ribs, a punctured lung and a major concussion. With two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, Bill Krei once again walks the halls of Oakridge High School.
“I am so very humbled to think what this man, like so many others, like so many of you in this audience have done for our country.”
The third soldier Horton wished to thank was his stepson, Ian Bostrom, he said.
“Ian is a sergeant in the Marine Corps,” Horton said. “My stepdad would be so very proud. Ian just completed his second tour of duty in Iraq.
“I can truly say having him come home safely has brought home to me the real meaning of Memorial Day.”