Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tales of patriotic honor recalled at Memorial Day ceremonies

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

As each name of the homegrown heroes who gave their lives in the line of duty was read aloud on Monday, a single chime of a bell rang out.

It was a day to honor and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country as Memorial Day observances were held at the War Heroes Memorial in Jarales and at the Heart of Belen. The two events attracted dozens of patriots who spent their Memorial Day paying tribute to the men and women who died in the name of the country.

At this year's event in Jarales, Billy Jones, a retired Navy man, and Ruperto Baldonado, a Korean War veteran, welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending.

"We like to see this group year after year for the purpose of paying tribute to the men and women that gave their all," Baldonado said. "We the people of Jarales work hard, and this is the results we get."

The flag raised in Jarales, which was carried out by the Los Lunas High School J.R.O.T.C., belonged to Baldonado's brother, Secundino, who lost his life in the Vietnam War on May 16, 1965. He was also a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. His family provided his flag for the ceremony.

"We are trying to get families of those named on our War Heroes Memorial to come forward and donate their flags for next year," Baldonado said.

After members of the J.R.O.T.C. presented the wreath, a moment of silence was observed for the departed heroes. Joseph Alefeld of the Rio Grande Valley Community Band played "Taps," and members of the local Army National Guard presented a 21-gun salute.

"We just want to thank each and every veteran for all that you've done for your country and what you continue to do for your country," Jones said.

At the Memorial Day ceremony in Belen, New Mexico Air National Guard SMSgt. Rick Carbajal, the master of ceremonies, told the crowd that our freedoms have been secured by the countless men and women who have bravely dedicated themselves to the country and to the freedoms we each enjoy on a daily basis.

"They paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure and guarantee that we can enjoy these freedoms from one generation to the next," Carbajal said. "We're grateful, as a nation, to those young men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their very lives in defense of the freedoms that we enjoy today as Americans.

"It's been said that a veteran is one who signs a blank check made payable to the United States of America in the amount up to, and including, their very lives," he said. "It is for this reason that we are gathered here today."

Carbajal reminded the crowd that Memorial Day isn't just a time of "cookouts and picnics" and "camping trips and unofficial kickoff to summer vacation season," but rather a day when everyone should remember the duty, service and sacrifice of those who have served and died for their country.

During Monday's ceremony, David Moya of Belen read aloud a letter his father, Felix, had written in September 1945 to his parents just before returning to the states after World War II. Moya, whose hands were shaking with pride, said the letter was recently found in his mother's possessions.

"Dear folks: Just a few lines to let you know that I'm OK and I hope you are the same — thanks to God. We are on our way back to the States now and I'm sure glad of it.

"We're now in Pearl Harbor getting supplies and we will leave for New York Tuesday to arrive for the Navy Day Parade," Felix Moya wrote to his parents. "I would like for you to save some of the money you're getting from my allotment so that I can have a little when I get back and go on leave.

"We were in Japan when they signed the peace treaties and I'm sure glad we're going back to the States and home again. I guess everything is different back there, so I'll probably have a pretty hard time getting used to it. I will sign off now, hoping to hear from you soon."

One of the two keynote speakers, Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Valencia County, thanked organizers Gloria and Sonny Sanchez for the continued dedication and effort they exhibit every year to host the Memorial Day ceremony in Belen. He also expressed his gratitude the local Gold Star Mothers.

He said that, while preparing for his speech on Monday, he came across an editorial by the state's secretary of veterans affairs, John Garcia. He said that he was surprised to learn that only 28 percent of Americans understand what Memorial Day symbolized.

"Some think that it's the start of summer, it's a day we get off work, or it's a day we have fun and picnic," Sanchez said. "We all know it's much more than that."

Sanchez vowed that he would introduce a memorial during next year's legislative session that would require the state's public education system to inform high school students of the meaning of Memorial Day.

"We need to honor and respect the men and women who lost their lives for each and every one of us," he added. "We should never, ever, under any set of circumstances, forget the sacrifices they went through. We must also never forget the sacrifices of the moms and the dads, the aunts and uncles — ... those people could not have done what they did without your help. Thank you for allowing your sons and daughters to serve in our Armies and our Navies. Thank you for letting them to be a part of our lives."

The second keynote speaker, Col. Andrew Salas, commander of the New Mexico Air National Guard's 150th Fighter Wing, spoke about those many "just in case" letters many service men and women write when they leave for war.

He said that what's written in these letters are the most intimate thoughts by service men and women who are being sent to places from which they may not return. Salas read a "just in case" letter that was found in the pocket of Capt. Henry Waskow, a member of the Texas National Guard, who, in 1944, lost his life in Italy.

"If you get to read this, I will have died in defense of my country and all that it stands for — the most honorable and distinguished death a man can die," Waskow wrote. "It wasn't because I was willing to die for my country — I wanted to live for it.

"Yes, I would have liked to have lived — to live and to share the many blessings and good fortunes that my grandparents bestowed upon me. But since God has willed otherwise, do not grieve too much, dear owns.

"I was not afraid to die," Waskow wrote. "I made my choice, I volunteered because I felt it was my duty to do so and I felt I thought I could do just a little bit to help this great country of ours in its hour of need — the country that means more to me than life itself. If I have done that, then I can rest in peace for I would have done may share to make this world a better place in which to live."

Salas said that many of us know someone who has laid down their lives facing the enemy on the field of battle. He said we all should remember their sacrifices and their commitment to the country.

"They didn't come back to laugh at our jokes, they didn't come back for us to cry with, they didn't come back to raise their children, and they didn't come back to grow old with the ones that they loved," Salas said. "For the ones who could not come back, we owe them just one thing, and that's to be grateful and to always remember."

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