SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted two Memorial Day ceremonies at Memorial Plaza here May 25 in honor of all servicemembers who have lost their lives in service to the United States.
The day started with a wreath laying ceremony where members of the base honor guard placed a wreath of flowers for each service, as well as the Department of Defense as a whole.
The Army wreath represented the 798,661 Soldiers who have died since the nation's founding, the Navy wreath represented 78,465 Sailors, the Marine Corps wreath represented 48,439 Marines and the Air Force wreath represented a combined 93,282 Airmen from the Army Air Service, Air Corps and Air Force.
Col. Paul Guemmer, 379th AEW vice commander, placed a wreath for the Department of Defense, honoring all 1,055,411 servicemembers who have given their lives for the United States since the nation was founded.
"This was the first time we have done a wreath laying ceremony like this," said Chaplain (Capt.) Zachary Nash, who spoke at the ceremony. "There have been Memorial Day services in the past, but this one was just a little bit different in the way we approached it.
"I think it's important that we do something that's tangible for our Airmen to be able to see," he said. "It was also important we linked the sacrifices of those who came before us and the ultimate sacrifice of those who paid for freedom with their lives."
He said one of the important things about the ceremony was it focused on all the branches of service, not just the Air Force.
"One of the things I enjoyed about today's ceremony is we honored the sacrifices of those who died for us in a joint effort and we were able to celebrate that with our sister services and coalition partners and I think that made for an especially poignant service," the captain said.
The second event was a formal retreat ceremony, lead by Maj. Gen. (S) Michael Moeller, 379th AEW commander.
During his speech prior to the sounding of retreat, he said, "It is appropriate that we gather here today, on a base with members from many nations, to remember those who fought and died to defend freedom and democracy. Since its first official observation on 5 May, 1868, when it was called declaration day, [Memorial Day] has been a day of remembrance for those who have sacrificed and died in our nation's service. And while it was originally dedicated to honor civil war Soldiers, we know it today as a celebration in memory of all who have died for and defended our right to freedom.
"So to those who have served in wars past and those who serve with me here today, fighting today's war, I have a simple yet heartfelt message: We remember," General Moeller said. "We remember your selfless service in peace time and war from the revolution to today here and around the world. My hope for us is, like you, every generation of Americans will continue to provide for the common defense with uncommon value and virtue."
Also part of the retreat ceremony, a memorial to Master Sgt. Evander Andrews was re-dedicated in front of the Coalition Compound theater. Sergeant Andrews died here in a construction accident Oct. 10, 2001 and was the first U.S. casualty of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Shortly after his death, the memorial was originally dedicated during a ceremony that named the base's tent city after him - "Camp Andy."
"We decided to move the memorial because it wasn't really serving its primary purpose where it was in the civil engineering compound," said Lt. Col. Luke Closson, 379th Expeditionary Mission Support Group deputy commander. "Tech. Sgt. Peter Lagos of the Civil Engineer Squadron proposed placing it in a more prominent location on the installation. By rededicating it at Memorial Plaza, the memorial will better honor Master Sgt. Evander Andrews and better inform the base's population about just how important he is to the wing's history."
Chaplain Nash said everyone in the military honors fallen servicemembers every day, whether they realize it or not.
"One of the things I tell Airmen whenever I get a chance is, every day when we don this uniform, that is a memorial service," he said. "We remember our fallen comrades and we wear this in their honor."