‘It is impossible for a service member to ever die in vain,’ says keynote speaker
By Paul R. Huard for the Ashland.news
A Memorial Day observance at Mountain View Cemetery honored Ashland’s war dead, offering a message of hope and respect for those who died while wearing the nation’s uniform.
Held under blue skies among the green-leafed trees and stone grave markers, the 45-minute ceremony featured guest speakers, patriotic music, and 18 members of Ashland Scout Troop 112.
“It is important for the Scouts to be here,” said Bjorn Austbo, 17, the troop’s senior patrol leader and a Life Scout. “The Scouts here will remember this for a long time. Maybe not the words, but they will remember how they felt.”
“They will help make sure that these people who died will not be forgotten,” Austbo added.
About 60 people attended the commemoration, which honored the more than 90 Ashland men and women who died in America’s wars, from the 1898 Spanish-American war to the Global War on Terror in the early 21st Century.
The crowd gathered near a monument in the cemetery dedicated to service members killed in action. The U.S. flag flew at half-staff, sometimes caught by a late-spring breeze that blew during the ceremony.
The five-piece Ashland Brass Band, clad in the uniforms of Civil War re-enactors, played marches by John Philip Sousa and other martial tunes. Many in the audience clapped their hands in time to the music.
Scouts performed various flag ceremonies, leading the Pledge of Allegiance and comprising a color guard that posted additional American flags and the flags of all six branches of service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ric Sharp and two Scouts placed a memorial wreath on a stand before the veterans’ monument. All three saluted before they returned to the audience.
At the end of the commemoration, a trumpeter played “Taps,” a tune traditionally associated in the U.S. military with burial services.
“It is a sound that is very moving and that can move grown men to tears,” said Kevin Calkins, assistant scoutmaster for Troop 112 and a retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer who served as the master of ceremonies. “I know – I am one of them.”
Local historian Lynne Hasselman gave an address that delivered details about 11 of Ashland’s own war dead.
“There are so many stories and so many who didn’t make it home,” Hasselman said. “Although we can only mention a few, they all deserve our honor, respect, and everlasting gratitude.”
She was moved to tears while reading an excerpt from the funeral service for Pfc. Donald Chapman and Cpl. Lewis Setchell, cousins from Ashland who were killed in action during World War II.
“Your lives were short, but they were rich and deep, and highly significant,” Hasselman said, quoting from the funeral sermon. “We shall never forget your service and your sacrifice.”
“I’ve researched those guys, their lives, and what they did,” Hassleman told Ashland.news. “I feel like I know them.”
Former Jackson County commissioner and retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Dave Dotterrer, the keynote speaker for the commemoration, asked the audience to consider the “enormity of sacrifice the loss of even a single servicemember represents.”
“Multiply this by the legion of men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country and the act of honoring them adequately seems overwhelming,” Dotterrer said.
Dotterrer also said the occasion raised another vital issue.
“Because we gather today to honor those who made the supreme sacrifice for our nation, I think it is appropriate to address the statement that a servicemember ‘has died in vain,’” he said. “I believe those who would make the argument that a servicemember’s death only has meaning if the politics are right, or whatever their reasoning, fundamentally misunderstand the true meaning of military service.”
“So, where does the meaning of military service come from?” Dotterrer said later in his address. “Note that the oath we took upon entering service was to the Constitution of the United States – not to a leader, a political party, a course of action, or a previous political decision. Military service flows from our Constitution as a covenant among a free people. The meaning of the lives of those who bear arms lies in their loyalty to this covenant and the nation that sends them.”
“… So you see, ladies and gentlemen, I believe it is impossible for a service member to ever die in vain,” he said.
Several of the Scouts said they found participation in the ceremony a moving experience.
“We not only remember those who died, but also those who are alive and serving,” said Eddie Cavalier, 12, a Scout in Troop 112 who participated in the commemoration and spoke afterward to Ashland.news. “We can all come together, unite as a community, and honor veterans for what they did.”
“It feels great to put this on for the people,” said Rye Cooley, 15, a Second Class Scout in Troop 112, during an interview.
Cooley, who offered the ceremony’s benediction, said it is important for people his age to know about the military service of both the living and dead.
“When I get to hear their stories, I always learn something,” Cooley said. “They have so many lessons to teach us.”
Email Paul R. Huard at paulrhuard@gmail.com.
