Milton memorializes fallen soldiers

By COURTNEY LAMDIN | Staff Writer
courtney@miltonindependent.com

On a hazy, surprisingly sunny Monday morning, more than 80 people gathered at Milton’s Municipal Building to honor those who died while serving in U.S. armed forces.

Keynote speaker Air National Guard Col. Mike Morgan reflected on the Airman’s Creed, which ends with the words, “I will never fail,” which he called the most important.

“Our fallen that we honor today did not fail,” Morgan said. “They were simply caught in unfortunate circumstances while in battle that were beyond their control. They are the heroes that we honor here today.”

Though Memorial Day is often marked with solemnity, Morgan said, the day should also be filled with reverence and even celebration.

“Remember the soldiers, sailors and airmen. Support their families,” he said. “Never forget the missing, and rejoice in their lives.”

Air National Guard Master Sgt. Lou Mossey, also representing the Milton Selectboard, suggested people take time to remember fallen soldiers by looking at photo albums, reading letters, watching videos or sharing stories from their loved ones.

“This may be a difficult undertaking, but remember that our service members live on within their memories,” he said. “Memorial Day should remind us that freedom is always under challenge and that freedom is never free. Freedom is important enough to live for and precious enough to die for.”

The ceremony also included an emotional poem reading from Air National Guard Master Sgt. Barry Habecker, who reflected on a fellow soldier who saved his life in Vietnam. He and two other men, all from Habecker’s home state of Pennsylvania, warned their fellow troops of the enemy’s approach and died in combat that day, Dec. 4, 1966.

Habecker recited the poem, which he wrote in 2002, from memory.

“Who are these people who so graciously gave their lives?” Habecker asked. “They are you: citizens of the United States of America.” (Read the entire poem, at right.)

“If he hadn’t warned us, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” Habecker said in a follow-up interview. “Any time somebody sacrifices their life for somebody else’s, it makes an impression.”

The service concluded as representatives from community organizations placed wreaths in front of the memorial garden, abloom with lilacs.

The Milton Community Band played patriotic tunes throughout the ceremony. The Rev. John Feltz, an Army colonel who was deployed to Afghanistan last year, offered an invocation and benediction, and Les Henry, a Vietnam veteran and member of Milton’s American Legion Post 57, emceed the event.