By Mary O’KEEFE

This Memorial Day is not only a time to reflect on those who served in the U.S. military and paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country; it is also a time to remember what they were fighting for, including stopping dictators like German leader Adolf Hitler during WWII.

According to the National WWII Museum, 383,600 U.S. military lives were lost during WWII. U.S. soldiers were killed across the world during the war and many of those remains were not returned home. During WWII more than 72,000 U.S. military members died overseas and their bodies were not returned to the U.S.; the military had banned the return, prioritizing funds that were needed for wartime expenses. 

There are an estimated 73,177 U.S. soldiers buried in cemeteries across Europe. Some of those are in the Netherlands American Cemetery. Not only does the cemetery have 8,288 headstones of fallen soldiers but also 1,722 names on the Tablets of the Missing in the cemetery’s Court of Honor. 

It is the only cemetery, according to an article by the U.S. Army, where locals have adopted the care of the headstones and the names on its wall of every single one of the fallen U.S. soldiers … and there is a waiting list to be one of those caregivers. People have been signing up since 1945.  

The cemetery has an amazing history; it is near the famous Cologne-Boulogne highway that was built by the Romans and used by Caesar during his campaign in that area. 

“The highway was also used by Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, and Kaiser Wilhelm II. In May 1940 Hitler’s legions advanced over the route of the old Roman highway, overwhelming the Low Countries. In September 1944, German troops once more used the highway for their withdrawal from the countries occupied for four years,” according to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). 

The Foundation for Adopting Graves at the American Cemetery Margraten manages the adoption program. This group collects photos of the fallen and sponsors a bi-annual event at the cemetery during Dutch Memorial Day weekend. More than 3,000 photos are on display that weekend next to the headstones and the Walls of the Missing, bringing visitors face-to-face with their liberators, according to the ABMC.

The U.S. Army publication article titled “Honoring our legacy: Locals adopt graves of U.S. Soldiers” written by Sandra Wilson followed the story of U.S. Army 406th Infantry Regiment Sgt. James Henry McTamney, who was killed in action in 1945 (he was 29). A local resident, Joe Mevis, cared for the grave for 25 years and finally was able to find McTamney’s surviving family – a granddaughter, who lives in the U.S. She stated that McTamney’s son had been searching his entire life for where his father was buried. The news from Mevis came just weeks after the son passed away. The granddaughter, and her husband, was able to visit the grave though, finally knowing where her grandfather was laid to rest. 

To think there is a place so far from U.S. shores that honors our greatest generation’s fallen soldiers is comforting but it is also makes me feel sad that some of us in the U.S. have forgotten what Memorial Day is really about. It used to be called Decoration Day; I remember going to the cemetery with my dad and uncle, along with other members of the American Legion, and decorating the graves of fallen military men and women. We placed the American flag on every grave and took a moment of silence. 

Today Memorial Day advertises sales at local stores, and people who talk about barbecues can’t wait for the three-day holiday. We are lucky, however, that in our community locals honor and remember Memorial Day by attending the ceremonies throughout our area. We are also lucky that in our area we have a very active American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1614. Those members never fail to hold Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day events at Two Strike Park. We are also fortunate that we have so many veterans in our area who continue to put their comrades first in their memory, like Steve Pierce who is a Vietnam veteran, U.S. Navy, and has for years held a watchful eye over the Vietnam War Memorial in Montrose, even when others have volunteered to take care of the memorial … you can still find him very early in the morning making sure the flowers and Memorial are well cared for. 

I think we should not just take one day to honor those fallen soldiers or to thank those who returned from fighting for our democracy; I think we should honor them every day by advocating for veterans’ affairs and thank a veteran for his/her service. And if you have the chance don’t just thank them – stop and listen to their stories, if they want to share. 

The weather this week will be a roller coaster of temperatures and conditions. There is an upper low pressure moving in bringing with it a slight chance of showers on Saturday and Sunday. The chance for rain is more likely on Saturday afternoon; however, the showers should be isolated so some areas may not get any rain and some may get moderate to a heavy rainfall. It will not be long lasting, according to NOAA.

Temperatures will be the hottest on Friday with highs in the low 90s, then will cool down over the weekend and by Monday and Tuesday highs will be in the mid 60s to low 70s. 

We could see winds on Saturday and Sunday with gusts up to 20 mph.