Weekly comments from Dale Martin

Dale Martin

Fernandina Beach

May 27, 2016 1:00 a.m.

Joyfully, this weekend popularly celebrates the start of summer.

Sadly, this weekend also commemorates the sacrifices of thousands of Americans. Somehow, “Happy Memorial Day” seems ignorantly inappropriate.

I remember several key moments of my military service: my arrival at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, for my initial summer of training as a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC cadet), my Oath in the bowels of a fieldhouse at the University of Detroit, my formally commissioning at Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Mt. Clemens, the start of my active duty training at Ft. Benning, Georgia, the start of my first active duty assignment in Schweinfurt, Bavaria, and my separation from active duty in Newark, New Jersey.

One of the most stirring moments of my brief military career was during my initial cadet training at Ft. Knox. The cadet battalion was invited to participate in the 200th anniversary celebration of the Purple Heart award. Given that we were still quite raw and could barely keep a credible formation while marching, it was an honor. While the ceremony was memorable, it was hearing the National Anthem for the first time while in uniform that was stirring. Watching the flag and hearing that music (played by a military band and not sung by a pop artist) was chilling. Maybe it’s a veteran thing.

Due to the (First) Gulf War, I am officially classified as a wartime veteran. I shirk from that designation because I believe it’s somewhat misleading: I was fortunate enough to avoid combat, but I was honored enough to have served. Veteran is fine by me.

My immediate family has a long relationship with the military, but my parents and siblings worked as civilians for the Army, while I was the only one to serve. All of them work at the tank plant in Warren, Michigan, only a few miles from where I was raised. My father worked at that facility for over forty-five years, studying (and becoming an authority on) the mobility systems of armored vehicles.

As I began my career as a veteran and city manager in the mid-1990s, I became more aware that Memorial Day was being celebrated, not commemorated. It was a time for picnics, summer fun, road trips, and appliance sales. I found that to be disheartening.

Being near the top of the organizational chart in city government does have an occasional benefit: I get to throw out new ideas (and typically the staff has to listen and on the rare occasion, incorporate those ideas). While serving in a small Michigan town, I came up with the creative idea to try to take back a little of Memorial Day.

The Linden Veterans of Foreign Wars Post has forever sponsored the Memorial Day parade. Veterans gathered at the hall, organized as a motley formation, stopped on a small bridge to dedicate a wreath in the river, and then continued about a mile or so to the city cemetery. Other than veterans, only children and the band were allowed in the parade, but as the parade proceeded along Main Street, the spectators, after applauding the veterans, fell into step at the end of the parade. The whole group arrived at the cemetery for a brief ceremony. After the playing of Taps in honor of the fallen, the group simply dispersed.

I simply added another component- a community picnic, under the belief that we had come together to honor the sacrifice, then let’s celebrate what the sacrifice was for: family and freedom.

The first picnic was primarily short-staffed- me and my daughters (it is a small town). We were up at 6:00 AM and shuttled supplies from the local stores to the VFW hall: hot dogs, buns, pizza, condiments, plates, napkins, water, and ice cream- all of which were donated. I then hurriedly changed into my uniform for the parade, hustled back afterward to get the City Council organized (it was their job to grill the hot dogs), pass a Health Department inspection, conduct a proper flag disposal ceremony, finally get out of uniform into shorts, and then ensure the rest of the day went smoothly (the ice cream was not a good idea). I was completely exhausted by the end of the day, but damn, I felt incredibly rejuvenated as an American.

That first Memorial Day picnic was in 2001. I looked at the Linden calendar and the fifteenth annual picnic is scheduled this year. That entire day, to me, symbolized the sacrifice of the veterans and celebrated the spirit of small-town America.

Please commemorate Memorial Day. A memorial ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 AM Monday at the monument located at Front and Centre Streets.