By Matt de Simone
Community members gathered Monday for the 79th Memorial Day Ceremony in Buchanan, honoring the sacrifices of military service members from Botetourt County and across the nation.
Because of rainy weather, the annual observance was moved from Fairview Cemetery to Solomon’s Mission on Lowe Street. The ceremony was hosted by American Legion Post 93 Commander Charlie Alphin and included patriotic music, prayers, remarks from local veterans, and a keynote address by Col. Keith Gibson, executive director of the Virginia Military Institute Museum System.
The event opened with the posting of the colors by the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Department, followed by an invocation from Post 93 Chaplain Roy Hensley and the Pledge of Allegiance. The national anthem and special music was performed by local musician David Austin.
Alphin introduced Gibson, noting the two share a longtime connection through VMI. Gibson graduated from the institute in 1977, one class ahead of Alphin.
Gibson told attendees he and his wife were honored to participate in the observance and reflected on his own upbringing along the James River, drawing connections between the river communities of Virginia and generations of military service.
“Communities, large and small, all along the banks of the James, responded,” Gibson said, speaking about Americans who answered the nation’s call to military service through wars and conflicts over the past 250 years.
Throughout his address, Gibson focused on the stories of veterans and fallen service members connected to Buchanan and Botetourt County. He spoke at length about Lawrence Guy Barger, a Buchanan native and World War I bugler who died during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France in 1918 at age 22.
Gibson recounted how Barger served with Company F, 318th Infantry, 80th Division, known as the Blue Ridge Division. He described the difficult battlefield conditions during the offensive and the efforts later made to return Barger’s remains home to Buchanan.
“‘Taps’ echoed across the waters of the James,” Gibson said, describing Barger’s return and burial in his hometown in 1921.
Gibson said Barger’s story represents many others from the community who served and sacrificed during wartime.
“I’ve gone into some detail relating the story of young Lawrence Barger not necessarily because it’s unique, but rather because it is representative of the stories and sacrifices that have played out so many times in your community here in Buchanan, in Botetourt County,” Gibson remarked.
He also remembered several other veterans and service members with local ties, including Eva Virginia Ageon, a nurse who died during World War II after contracting hepatitis linked to a contaminated yellow fever vaccine; Leonard Haymaker, who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II; Lt. John Hill, who was awarded the Silver Star in Vietnam; and Marine Sgt. Michael Lalush, who died in Iraq in 2003.
Photos by Matt de Simone
During the address, Gibson praised Buchanan residents for maintaining strong traditions of remembrance and honoring veterans through local memorial efforts.
“I’m confident that your efforts to remember the fallen are not surpassed by any community of your size in the nation,” Gibson said.
Near the conclusion of his remarks, Gibson referenced the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields,” quoting the line, “To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.”
“All over our country, at this very time, in small, proud communities like Buchanan, neighbors gathered today to acknowledge our unpayable debt to those who stepped forward and accepted the enormous weight and responsibility of that torch,” Gibson said.
The ceremony concluded with a benediction from Hensley, the retiring of the colors by the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Department, and the playing of “Taps” by Lori Wingo.
Before dismissing the crowd, Alphin thanked the many volunteers, musicians, veterans, and organizations that helped organize the observance and support Fairview Cemetery. He also encouraged attendees to remain for the community luncheon held at Solomon’s Mission following the ceremony.
