PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Stories of heroism and a tribute to a group of enlisted men and women who are too often forgotten stood out as highlights of solemn Memorial Day observances, where hundreds gathered to give thanks and to honor friends, family, colleagues and loved ones who gave their lives in service to the nation.
There was something new at Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony at the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Before the hundreds of people gathered to observe the holiday, a new plaque was unveiled in honor of some veterans whose sacrifice is sometimes overlooked.
In front of the wall of 648 names of Philadelphians who were killed or listed as missing in action in the Vietnam War — along with the music, speeches, gun salutes and wreath-laying — memorial officials tore the brown paper wrapping off a stone slab dedicated to those who died after returning home.
It’s estimated that 300,000 Vietnam veterans died from exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange — five times as many as were killed in combat. Many more veterans died from other injuries that shortened their lives.
It’s something Vietnam veterans memorials around the country are doing, said Memorial President Terry Williamson — “because we recognize that the toll is ongoing and that people still pass away from injuries and whatnot they incurred, and we thought that this was really appropriate.”
Reggie Boston thought it was a nice addition. He was wounded as a Navy helicopter pilot flying covert missions to Laos. He counts himself lucky.
“I know a lot of guys on that wall. We went to school together, played ball at the Nicetown Boys Club, Police Athletic League boxing,” Boston said. “We lost quite a few guys from our neighborhood, so I come to pay my respects.”
Heroes in our own backyard
The ceremony also recognized Kaheem Bailey-Taylor, a junior at the Philadelphia Military Academy, for saving the life of a fellow ROTC cadet who was shot when gunfire erupted at a birthday party.
“He got shot twice — once in the back and once in the stomach,” Bailey-Taylor said, recalling the day it happened. “I was out of the house, but I ran back when I heard the shots, and I started triaging him.”
He credits his ROTC training for teaching him to keep pressure on the wounds so his friend wouldn’t bleed to death. Bailey-Taylor’s commandant Russell Gallagher said he thinks the young man is too modest.
“I still get choked up when I think about what he did,” Gallagher said. “He ran into a house where everyone else was leaving. They shot through the door to keep him from coming in. He still went in — then he gave first aid and saved that young man’s life. He put his life in danger for his friends.”
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Keeping memories afloat
In a solemn ceremony aboard the Battleship New Jersey on the Camden, New Jersey, waterfront, veterans, dignitaries and citizens gathered to honor the memories of Americans who gave their lives in service to the nation.
At the Battleship ceremony, Camden County Commissioner Melinda Kane said, for her, every day is Memorial Day.
“Whether you received a knock on the door, a phone call or a telegram, lives are forever changed,” Kane said.
Her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
“The pain of loss remains. Most Gold Star families are very good at masking the pain — because, in some respect, we are expected to be brave like our loved ones.”
Memorial Day should be a personal experience for all Americans, said 78-year-old Bob DelSordo, who served in the Army from 1968 to 1974.
Using “Happy Memorial Day” as a greeting — “that’s wrong,” he said. “It should be Memorial Day. This is the day in which we remember those who have passed as veterans.”
DelSordo said he has seen more respect in recent years for those who served during the Vietnam War.
“We were despised as soldiers. And ever since, I’d say, 9/11, there’s been a different attitude toward the American public. They appreciate the service of a veteran,” he said.
A rifle salute preceded an emotional moment, when a wreath was tossed into the Delaware River in remembrance of those who died in service. As the wreath sank and disappeared into the moving water, the pain of loss did remain, as did the comfort of memory.
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