By
Dan Gay
Over
800 nations' flags mounted near worn headstones fluttered softly in the
early morning breeze as Naval
Medical Center, Portsmouth held its annual Memorial Day Ceremony, May 28. Guests were gathered
to honor the Soldiers, Sailors,
and Marines interred at the hospital cemetery. The ceremony, sponsored
jointly by NMC Portsmouth and the Fleet Reserve and Ladies Auxiliary,
Branch 99, Virginia Beach, featured Rear Adm. C. E. Adams, Commander,
Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, as guest speaker.
Adams
had just returned from six weeks attending the CAPSTONE Course sponsored
by the National Defense University, Fort McNair, near Washington, DC. Having traveling to U.S. military bases and
doing a two-week study of South West Asia, Adams noted that America is
blessed with unbelievable wealth, opportunity, and freedom.
During
his remarks at the Memorial Day ceremony, he emphasized that his travels had
brought him a renewed sense of the
freedoms we enjoy, and especially, the gratitude he felt for those who had
given their lives so we might preserve the future of the greatest nation on
Earth. "We also mourn the loss
of 17 shipmates from the USS Cole and the loss of Congressman Sisiski, all
who gave so much in the service to our country for their belief that freedom,
above all else, is something worth defending and preserving." Adams said.
This
hospital resting ground is full of tradition and tragic memories of the past.
The hospital cemetery contains the remains of those who served bravely
during our nation's major conflicts and wars.
A special memorial stands as tribute to the men who lost their lives
aboard USS Cumberland and USS Congress which were sunk during a Hampton Roads
battle with the CSS Virginia during the first day of the iron clad's maiden
voyage.
Other
tombstones bear brief inscriptions noting the interments of Brazilian, French,
German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish sailors who had fallen victim to shipwreck
and disease. The earliest grave is
Aug. 12, 1838, which honors a sailor who fell to his death aboard USS Constitution.
"On
this hallowed day, we must all remember that freedom, and the blessings it
brings, often exacts the ultimate sacrifice.
More than 1.3 million service men and women have given their lives
preserving the freedom we hold so dear," said Adams. "We must remember that sacrifice is not some far off thing, but a very real
payment made for the freedoms we enjoy today," he stated.
The
day's activities concluded with a program by the Fleet Reserve and the Ladies
Auxiliary. James Scarbro, Regional
President, East Coast, FRA, and Flo Marie Holcombe, Past National Chaplain,
East Coast, placed a wreath on the cairn surmounted by a stone pillar and
urn honoring the men lost during a Hampton Roads battle between the USS Cumberland
and Congress and the ironclad, CSS Virginia, during its maiden voyage.
