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Remembering the fallen
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by CAROL HARVAT
Members of Calvert High School's NJROTC along with a veteran salute the memorial after placing the wreaths in commemoration of Memorial Day on Monday on the lawn of Calvert County Courthouse in Prince Frederick.
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A short burst of rain poured down during the laying of the wreaths at the Memorial Day service on the Veterans' Green of the Calvert County Courthouse in Prince Frederick on Monday.
The rain is "tears of a nation for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice," said Pat McCoy, commander of the Stallings-Williams American Legion Post 206 in Chesapeake Beach.
One mother, considered a Gold Star mother with the American Legion, Kelly Swanson said, "Everyday is Memorial Day for us."
Swanson's son Staff Sgt. Christopher Swanson was killed while serving in Iraq in July 2006.
"He loved his country and believed in what he was doing," she said. She thanked Post 206 for "being there every step of the way" as she dealt with the difficulty in losing her son.
"Give thanks to the soldiers who gave up their yesterdays so we could have todays," Swanson said.
Memorial Day speaker George W. Owings III, who served as Maryland Secretary of Veteran Affairs under former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, said he recalled Christopher Swanson as a young man who lifeguarded at the pool at Harrington Harbour and recalled when he first enlisted.
His sacrifice has turned into a positive as his family raises money for a get-away home on the Chesapeake Bay for family and soldiers who need to stay at Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment.
"Be sure that we keep their cause our country's own," Owings said of the soldiers.
Several NJROTC members from county high schools spoke about what Memorial Day meant to them and thanked those that sacrificed themselves for their country.
"Today we honor the silent sacrifices," one cadet said.
Vice Commander of the American Legion's Southern Maryland Division Steve Tatro said Memorial Day is a "time to reflect, remember and give thanks."
The American Legion's motto is "pride and purpose."
"Pride fuels a sense of purpose," he said. The soldiers of today have the same commitment as they did two centuries ago when America first fought for its freedom, Tatro said.
"We remember by honoring our ancestry and the men and women who have given their lives," said Dr. Cathy Miller, regent for John Hanson Calvert County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
"Always remember their sacrifice."
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