A Memorial Day Message from Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell

We often think of Memorial Day as a holiday that generally marks the beginning of summer and the wonderful activities that come with this season. It is a time when we join together for the family barbecue or simply enjoying the day - the peaceful and crisp mornings, the clear skies, the view of our mountains and the still snow covered peaks to our south, or indeed the smell of sagebrush and pine after a gentle rain.

Memorial Day is not, however, a day of celebration in the traditional sense of that word. Rather, Memorial Day is a day of reflection when we pay tribute to those who have served our country in uniform and who are no longer with us. It is a day to remember that without the sacrifice of those veterans whose names are inscribed on gravestones around the world, we would not be able to enjoy the many attributes of living in a free society.

Memorial Day is also a day to remember the sacrifices of family members, friends and indeed entire communities that kept, and indeed keep, the home fires burning; a reminder that the death of a veteran, whether by combat or otherwise, takes a toll on each of us all in one way or another.

Each day we read about another WWII veteran passing on. The obituaries of many of those members of the Greatest Generation often include a military photograph, most of which show a young person in the prime of his or her life serving their country with pride.

It is likewise with those who served in the Korean War. Sometimes the Korean War is called the “Forgotten War”. We should remove that moniker from our common discourse as it minimizes the tremendous sacrifice of those who served in the Korean War Theater where the rate of death was three times that of the Vietnam War. Our Korean War veterans should know that they are not now and never will be forgotten.

Nor will we forget our Vietnam Veterans who returned home to an ungrateful nation. Never again should we denigrate those we send in harm’s way to protect our way of life.

We see daily reminders of the sacrifice of those veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as those currently serving in those theaters of war. Many of us have seen the “Always Lost” exhibit created by our own Western Nevada College students and faculty. Where the names of the 58,300 men and women who died in Vietnam War are carved in the stone walls of the Vietnam Memorial, the “Always Lost” Exhibit presents the faces of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Middle East; the faces of young men and women who have had their lives cut short doing the heavy lifting for us but never to be able to enjoy the fruits of their efforts.

Memorial Day is also a day to remember and reflect on the fact that there are more than 92,000 veterans who are either missing in action or prisoners of war and consequently have no known resting place. On this day, and indeed every day, the Honor Guard at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier will be silently pacing 21 steps before pausing for 21 seconds to turn, symbolic of the honorary 21 gun salute.

Nor should we forget that almost 126,000 veterans are buried on foreign soil far from their loved ones. It wasn’t until after WWII that our nation thankfully adopted a policy of bringing all service members back to American soil. In a very real way, those buried on foreign soil continue their service even after their deaths as a reminder to the citizens of those countries of the sacrifice that Americans made for their freedom.

On this day of remembrance, let us also honor those who stood by our veterans and kept the home fires burning when the times were tough.

Today is a day to pass the torch of remembrance to generations to come ensuring that our nation and its people never forget that the quality of life we enjoy was made possible in large part by those who are buried in cemeteries around the world.

Today is a day to reflect on the basic goodness of Americans and to reaffirm the spirit that has made us a great nation.

God Bless America, our great State of Nevada and this wonderful community we call home, Carson City.
To my fellow veterans — Welcome Home.

— Robert L. "Bob" Crowell is a native Nevadan, born in the mining town of Tonopah and raised in Carson City. An attorney by profession, Bob is a Vietnam Veteran and retired Navy Captain. Bob is a life member of Vietnam Veterans of America and a member of that organization’s local Chapter 388. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, American Legion and the Carson City Council of the Navy League where he served as charter president.