Honoring those who gave all
On Saturday, May 24, 2014, a Memorial Day ceremony was held at Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial to honor and remember all Americans who have given their lives in the service of their country and its allies.
A volley of three rounds.
Taps.
Two Belgian F-16’s fly-over.
A windswept Field of Honor containing 5,323 American war dead of which 792 are unknowns.
Three Citadel Men rest in eternal peace at the cemetery which is located at Neupré, Belgium, approximately 18 kilometers south of the heart of Liège.
Frank Elmer Grogan, Jr., Class of 1942
Jerome Chris Serros, Class of 1942
James William Hendon, Jr. Class of 1942
/RL
Hi Roger, Rick Ball here. I just saw this email and was moved, once again, by activities surrounding Memorial Day. Thanks for sending this on.
I was lucky enough, during my time flying at McEntire ANG Base in F16s, to lead a fourship F16 formation flyby at The Citadel over the parade ground at some special parade some number of years back. The timing there also worked out perfectly, as I was leading the fourship just over Summerall Chapel within 10 seconds of the completion of the Star-Spangled Banner, at 500 feet and 400 knots. I wish I could have seen it from the ground, as things just worked out well.
The fact that the Europeans still pay the attention to our special day (Memorial Day, of course) that they do is quite impressive, and I truly respect them for that. Yes, they have good reason to keep honoring it, but, in this day and age, I’m happily surprised that they’ve really been so honorable and are trying to keep it alive with the younger generation.
Stay in touch, and thanks for your efforts again.
Impressive ceremony. Hope to visit the cemetery soon!