Memorial day is a day we set aside to remember the lives of the men and women who served this great country in a uniform. Unlike most civilian jobs, military people often serve in remote places and under the harshest of environments. Most people work a 40 hour week, but a GI is often asked to work a 40 hour day -- or more!
Today is the day we remember those service members who have passed on before us and especially those who gave their lives in combat.
Yesterday, we went out to the Orting Veteran's Cemetery to help place flags near the headstones. We didn't get the chance because a bunch of folks came early and did it all before we got there. Believe it or not, we arrived only 15 minutes later than the time given to me by the guy who was heading this up.
So we decided to walk through and look at the grave markers and reflect upon the sacrifices of the men and women buried there.
Mrs. VW and two of our granddaughters stroll through the rows.
They have veterans there from the Civil War forward.
Ansel Brown enlisted at 18 in Grand Rapids. He gave his home town as Detroit. The unit was formed in1863 and fought in Tennessee and North Carolina
Among the veterans buried in Orting is Sgt. William H. Sickles.
Sgt Sickles was in Company B of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry. He was just shy of his 94th Birthday when he died. From Sgt. Sickles' MOH citation:
Let us all take a few minutes this weekend and reflect upon the veterans that we've lost who served their country honorably in times of peace and war.
VW
