Story by Jeff Moeller, correspondent
While recalling his days serving in the Vietnam War, Jim Liederhouse had trouble holding back his emotions.
“In combat when you’re trying to save as many wounded as possible, it doesn’t always work out,” stressed Liederhouse, who served as a Medavac medic in the Air Force from 1967-69. “This is the best way for me to honor those who gave it their all.”
Liederhouse and his wife Sharon, both Richmond Hill residents, were among a crowd that packed a meeting room behind the Richmond Hill Police Station Monday morning to participate in the town’s annual Memorial Day Observance.
Richmond Hill Mayor Kristi Cox welcomed the gathering and recognized members of Gold Star families that were present. Reverend Steve Lane of the New Beginnings Community Church followed with an invocation.
In a heartwarming ceremony, members of the Army’s HHC Mortars 2-7 IN, 3rd Infantry Division began with the posting of the colors, and Dr. Hubert Quiller, senior pastor of the Restoration Worship Center, sang the national anthem. Members of the Scouts of America then led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Major Colton Parr, executive officer for the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, delivered the keynote address.
Parr also acknowledged the Gold Star families, and he highlighted how those who lost their lives in combat should be remembered for “their stories of courage and idealism as well as belief in the American way of life.”
“Behind every digit in that 1.3 million is a name,” emphasized Parr in reference to those who lost their lives in battle. “Behind every name is a family, a hometown, a set of friends, and a life of hopes and dreams that were cut short in service to something greater than self.
“Today, we do not remember them as statistics. We remember them as sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends and teammates, and as Americans who gave all they had for the nation they loved. Their sacrifice is part of the cost of the liberty we enjoy. But our duty is to continue to think of them, to tell their stories and to remember. For as long as we remember, they are never truly gone.”
The ceremony concluded with the laying of the wreath, taps performed by SSG Benjamin Pryse, 3rd Infantry Division band; the retirement of colors by the HHC Mortars; and a benediction by Lane.
Dillon Moyer, another Richmond Hill resident who served in the army for four years, brought daughters Collette, Camille, and Cecelia to the ceremony to remind them of the day’s significance.
“I try to teach them about the holiday and what’s important about it,” stated Moyer. “They have to know what it really is.”
