Memorial Day Ceremony Honors Those Who Have Died Serving

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Veterans assembled at the local legion around 9:30 Monday morning. From there, they once again made their solemn walk to Forest Cemetery.

That walk and ceremony were disrupted last year as the world was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That missed year only meant that veterans and civilians alike were more determined this year to recognize those individuals who have died while on duty with the US military.

After the flag was posted at the podium near the war memorial at Forest, the community was welcomed by Curt Grandia. He serves the veterans of the county in his role with Veterans Affairs.

Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt opened by saying, “It is my privilege to welcome all of you this morning to the Memorial Day observation. Memorial Day is a time designated for the remembrance of over 1 million Americans who served in the armed forces and lost their lives.”

Krutzfeldt also recognized the families of those lost service members. “We do thank the families who have given us their sons and daughters, their brothers and sisters, their moms and dads. We acknowledge the sacrifices they’ve made to keep things going without their loved ones.”

Grandia then introduced the key-note speaker Commander Larry Spencer. He served with the US Navy as a pilot aboard the USS Ranger and USS Enterprise and was shot down over North Vietnam in February 1966.

He spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war and returned home in February of 1973.

Upon his return, he continued to serve the US Navy, serving in the Pentagon, ending up in the Secretary of Defense’s Office.

Opening with a piece of advice to those in attendance, Spencer said, “One thing about whatever befalls you as you go forward in life, sometimes it’s good that you don’t know what the future holds.”

“If I had known a couple of weeks after I got shot down that it was gonna be nearly seven years, I might have said, Oh, my, that seems like an awfully long time. But bad experiences come to everyone, not just people who are in the military.”

“Trying to deal with them one day at a time is sometimes the only way you can do it. I’ve been a few times where I would say in the morning, ‘okay, God, let’s get me through to lunchtime, and I’ll worry about this afternoon after lunch,’” shared Spencer.

“Everybody who serves in the military has a story, and they’re all different. But they all have common threads that extend through their military service,” said Spencer of his fellow veterans and his recovery after release.

“I had the opportunity to talk to a number of groups during that period that I was home in 1973. At the end of the program, as often happens, people come up to say hello, and thank you, and everything. And I was amazed at the number of people who would come up and say, you know, when I look back on my life, one of the happiest and most fulfilling times of my life was when I was in the military. And I came to have some thoughts about that over the period of the months and years. When you’re in the military, you’re part of an event or an ongoing operation that is bigger than just you as an individual,” Spencer explained.

Today’s modern aircraft carrier has over 5000 people, both men and women, serving on that ship, each of whom has a role to play in the day-to-day operation of that ship. There are only 100, plus or minus 10 probably, pilots assigned to that aircraft carrier. Our carrier had seven squadrons, with 14 pilots for squadrons, so that would only be 98 pilots. They’re the ones who get to fly the airplanes off the carrier. But it takes that whole 5000 people plus to make that carrier operate each day to get it heading the right direction, through the water,” Spencer said. “Everybody plays a role.”

Closing out his speech, Spencer added, “As you look back over your life, sometimes you end up shaking your head about some of the things that happened and how you got to where you are. I can assure you that almost everyone comes to the realization and the belief that it’s not by accident that we end up where we do, and that we have come this way. As a journey that we’re on, we’re not sure where the route’s gonna go, but there’s a man upstairs looking over us. We are very blessed to be Americans have lived here in our country. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest thing man has come up with yet as a society, to help people achieve goals, a better life, and to take care of each other and our families as we go forward.”

The ceremony ended with a 21-gun salute by the Honor Guard and the playing of Taps by the Oskaloosa City Band.

Many then attended a free lunch at the American Legion following the ceremony.