Modesto remembers the dead and the living who served on Memorial Day
About 75 people gathered at Acacia Memorial Park on Monday to remember the men and women who gave their lives protecting this nation and its values while serving in the military.
The Memorial Day ceremony included remarks from U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold, Councilwoman Kristi Ah You, Police Chief Galen Carroll, Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3199 Commander Kevin Aqueche.
They spoke not only of the ultimate sacrifice service members have made but the sacrifices of these fallen service members’ families and friends and how that loss is felt over generations. And they spoke of the sacrifices of those who have served and have come home changed.
“I’m going to be honest with you, it’s tough for me to speak on Memorial Day,” said Dirkse, a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger.
He spoke about how he commanded an infantry company in Iraq in 2005 and made decisions that ultimately resulted in the deaths of five of his soldiers. Dirkse said he will live with that for the rest of his life.
But he focused on the five soldiers. He said two where white, one black, one Mexican-American and one Asian-American. They were Christian, Catholic, Buddhist and agnostic, and their politics represented the spectrum of beliefs.
But he said their service to the nation transcended those categories.
“As soldiers, it’s about the brotherhood,” Dirkse said. “It is about protecting everything that that flag stands for. ... The five soldiers that I had all represented that. So today as you go out and you celebrate Memorial Day, remember those that we have lost for our country. They have given us that flag. They have given us the freedoms that we enjoy.
“They have given us the ability to do what it is that we do in America and to be the greatest nation on this planet. None of them were perfect, as our nation is not perfect. But there has never been a better country than the United States of America.”
Fourteen members of The MusiCadets Alumni Band were on hand to play patriotic favorites. Also participating was an honor guard made up of members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3199 and American Legion Post 74. Boy Scout Troop 14 and Cub Scout Pack 14 also took part in the ceremony, which the memorial park has held annually for decades.
“It was tiring standing still the whole time. Otherwise, it was fun doing the parade and stuff,” said 9-year-old Jaden, one of the Cub Scouts. When asked what he had learned, Jaden said, “about how a lot people sacrifice, and it’s all to help our country.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2019 at 3:17 PM.