Torch must continue shining

As an honorably discharged veteran of deployed U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Pacific Fleet service, I returned home to east central Indiana a few months before my August 1989 discharge date in May 1989.

Jay County still had four active and fully functional American Legion posts — Portland, Dunkirk, Pennville and Redkey.

I just happened to stop by the Williamson and Smiley American Legion Post 401 in Redkey on that sunny day in May, and the legion guys invited me to stand in with them for their upcoming annual Memorial Day ceremonies.

I say ceremonies plural because Redkey at that time had a spectacular marching unit, with a full firing unit and color guard.

They performed five on-site Memorial Day ceremonies and it was a full day of activity. 

We began that morning in Claycomb Cemetery, proceeded back to the post and formed up in marching formation and marched from the post to the Redkey War Mother’s Memorial Monument and then over to the Redkey Pioneer’s Ceremony.

After those two services, we were driven by the late Capt. Arbuckle in a 1920s era fire truck out to the War of 1812 gravesites on Indiana 1 south of Redkey, then back to Hillcrest Cemetery.

At Hillcrest Cemetery, we held our final fifth ceremony of the day.

Our firing line had World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Cold War-era veterans in the lineup.

A few years later, I was elected to the position of post commander and it became my responsibility to speak to the gathered public at these annual Memorial Day ceremonies.

I began as early as 1996, reminding and admonishing the gathered public to get the stories of the World War II veterans in their families because the day was coming when we would no longer have them with us.

For us here in Jay County, this was that year.

On Memorial Day last year, I still had one World War II veteran in attendance at our annual Memorial Day ceremonies.

This year, I had none.

While there may still be a few out there, there are no longer any who are on the roster at local American Legion posts to the best of my knowledge.

The Greatest Generation, which instilled the sense of duty in me to continue these annual Memorial Day ceremonies, has passed into history.

I only hope that someone can bear the torch and continue the tradition when I can no longer continue.