Memorial Day ceremony marks 'solemn' remembrance for military fallen
Gathered beneath a large tent Monday, dozens of area residents marked Memorial Day at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy continuing a generations-long tradition in the city of Johnstown.
'I ask you to find meaning in your life for those who gave all in service of our country,' retired U.S. Army Col. Jeff Pounding said.
He served as this year's keynote speaker on the hallowed grounds which previously served as a cemetery and had Revolutionary and Civil War-era soldiers interred there.
Pounding is a decorated service member who told the crowd that Memorial Day is a 'solemn' occasion for him in which communities come together to commemorate the valor of those who gave their lives for their country.
Dozens of people attended the event on the cool May morning, including several veterans from nearly every branch of the military.
James A. Clark was one of those people.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and said after the ceremony that Memorial Day is a reminder to him that people of all races and creeds have allied in defense of the United States and paid the ultimate price in doing so.
Clark has attended the Johnstown event for decades, having started when he was a boy and his father, James. F. Clark, a U.S. Merchant Marine, would take him.
'Very inspirational,' he said.
James Dudley, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1981, arrived shortly after the ceremony concluded but still wanted to pay his respects.
'These are all my brothers,' he said. 'The ones who didn't come home.'
Memorial Day is an emotional day for Dudley, who said he always pays tribute to the fallen.
Other speakers during the day including state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Richland Township, and Jason Minor, Junior Vice Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
'We can truly never thank those that died in the line of duty so that we can remain free,' Langerholc said.
He also told the crowd the story of U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Phillip Langerholc, his great uncle, who served during World War II.
The elder Langerholc died in combat while fighting in the Pacific Theater, and the senator has the last letter his relative sent home before perishing.
Wayne Langerholc said reading that letter and speaking Monday were earnest reminders of the price of freedom.
Minor read Gen. John A. Logan's General Orders No. 11, otherwise known as the Memorial Day Order.
Logan issued the directive on May 5, 1868, writing that the end of May would be reserved for 'the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.'
'In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit,' Minor read.
Diana Kabo, president of the Sandyvale Cemetery Association Inc. and memorial gardens, said the Johnstown community has gathered at Sandyvale since 1886 when the holiday was formerly known as Decoration Day.
Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune- Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.
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