TIMONIUM, Md. — Honor them by remembering them.
Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens holds its 59th Memorial Day ceremony
On Monday, crowds of people gathered at the Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens to honor those who've made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The number is 1,316,771. The number of men and women who have died in defense of the United States since the nation was born," one of Monday's speakers said.
It's the ceremony's 56th year running, but that doesn't change how much it means to the families of the fallen.
Brianna Delauney’s husband Sgt. Blain Gatrell died in August of last year.
“It was really lovely getting to come here and have them make this Memorial Day ceremony personal in a way like honoring individual people," Dealuney said.
She told WMAR-2 News that she’ll continue to carry her husband through life.
“I want to stay included in the military, do as much as I can, go to as many of these as I can to support other people through this really hard process.”
Rene Wong's husband Major Raymond Wong also passed in August of last year.
“In my mind he’s the smartest person who ever lived and always had the right answer to everything," Wong said. “I can still hear his voice in my head as I go through different situations in life, and I can still hear his advice or sometimes what I think he would say.”
Wong and Gatrell were two of 16 fallen service members honored at the ceremony.
Those honored include:
- PFC Lawrence R. Beard, 27, U.S. Army Air Force
- TSgt Martin G. Bacon Jr., 24, U.S. Army Air Force
- SPC Stephen Y. Akinlotan, 21, U.S. Army
- PFC Davon T. Moore, 31, U.S. Army
- PO1 Dakota B. Collison, 27, U.S. Navy
- 2LT William A. Wyman, 23, U.S. Army
- MSgt Elizabeth M. Lohrmann, 45, U.S. Air Force
- SGT Blain A. Gatrell, 22, U.S. Army
- MAJ Raymond K. Wong, 38, U.S. Army
- SPC Antonio B. Topp, 33, U.S. Army
- SrA Kyra L. Badrian, 25, U.S. Air Force
- PFC William B. Carlson, 28, U.S. Army
- MIDN 2C Kyle Devin Philbert James, 20, U.S. Naval Academy
- SGT Alexander S. Shepherd, 25, U.S. Marine Corps
- PO Michael W. Parshley, 33, U.S. Navy
- SA Basker N. Kalamba, 19, U.S. Navy
The ceremony was filled with music, including from nonprofit Guitars for Vets.
Instructor William Buzard told WMAR-2 News that they use music to help heal veterans.
“I’ve seen it in their face, and I’ve had students as old as 82 that remarkably you could see it in their eyes," Buzard said.
Speakers ended the ceremony by saying that remembering our fallen service members shouldn't be kept to just one day; instead, it should always be carried in our hearts.
