Several dozen veterans, families of veterans and community members gathered for American Legion Post 93’s annual Memorial Day Observance in Buchanan Monday. It was the Post’s 72^nd annual service, and the first that in a way celebrates the contributions women have made to the armed services.

Sarah Ware is the Post’s first woman commander, and she also is one of the few women who has been a guest speaker for the Memorial Day ceremony.

The forecast of bad weather prompted the Post to move the ceremony to Botetourt Funeral Home’s chapel from it’s normal place on the hill above Fairview Cemetery and Mountain View Cemetery where small American and Confederate flags mark the graves of the many men and women who had served in America’s wars and conflicts over the past 150 years.

Her message Monday about the sacrifices that the community’s and the country’s soldiers, sailors and airmen have made in war and in training included acknowledging the families left behind.

“We also extend our gratitude and support for a group that nobody wants to join— but has already given their country so much— our Gold Star Families,” Ware said. “As we observe Memorial Day every year, these families remember their fallen loved ones every day.  Children without parents, Gold Star mothers and fathers, spouses and siblings— they can still hear the voices of those they lost.

“And it is up to us to hear the voices of these families, offer our support and express our highest gratitude,” she continued. “We owe it to these heroes that gave all and the loved ones left behind to make sure that their sacrifices are remembered and that their service to this nation will always be honored.

“I challenge each of you to ensure that the true meaning of Memorial Day is not lost with our younger generation.  Take time to talk with the younger members of your family about today, tell them about your service or the service of your family members,” Ware continued. “We must always remember that freedom is not free.  We are able to have ceremonies and observances like this in towns across this great country because our fallen heroes have paid the highest price for our freedom.   We should insist that America remain the land of the free; a land where patriotism trumps politics, where the American Flag is displayed proudly and frequently and where military veterans are society’s true celebrities.”

Ware told the audience there is nothing unpatriotic about a trip to the beach or a barbecue with family and friends. But she noted, “… we are here today to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. Let us remember that tyrannical regimes have been toppled and genocides stopped because Americans sacrificed life and limb.

“Let us remember,” she continued, “that terrorist plots were foiled and killers brought to justice because Americans were willing to pay a high price in blood and treasure— no matter how you may have heard it on the news.

“Let us remember that without a United States military, the world would be a far more oppressive and darker place. Let us remember that freedom never had a greater friend than the American Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman,” she said. “The heroes we remember today are not exclusive to any gender, race or religion. They are a diverse group wedded to the common principle that America is a nation worth dying for.”

She said, “The men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation are indisputably heroes.  When their country called, they answered.  Some were volunteers and some were volun-told.  No matter how they found themselves into the ranks of the military, all served faithfully and to their fullest.”

Ware said one question that is often asked, “and often politically-charged,” of family members and battle buddies of our Fallen Heroes, is “Was it worth it?”

“Our current Chief of Staff, retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, offered his unique perspective. A veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan himself, General Kelly lost his youngest son, First Lieutenant Robert Kelly, while conducting combat operations in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.  He said, and I quote: ‘I think what I tell families now is the only person really that has a right to answer that question— was it worth it?— is the young man or woman that lost their life. And I believe what they would say is that they were doing what they wanted to do. They were where they wanted to be. So that’s the answer, I think, to that question.’”