Servicewomen Honored at Memorial Day Ceremony

	Brig. Gen. Vaught (center) is joined by guest speakers Congresswoman Susan Davis (L center) and Cheryl Beversdorf (far right), along with the servicewomen speakers at the Memorial Reflecting Pool. Photo by Donna Parry.

 

Thunder, lightening and torrential rain did not dampen the patriotic spirit of scores of participants at the 12th annual Women’s Memorial Memorial Day Ceremony May 25. In fact, repositioning to the Memorial gallery, among the exhibits and legions of servicewomen’s registrations, added a new dimension to the program and was a reminder of the proud legacy represented there.

The ceremony, one of the major Memorial Day programs in the nation’s capital, included formal military honors and servicewomen speakers from each of the military services, who spoke about their service to the nation and the men and women, past and present, they represent.

Servicewomen participating in this year’s program included retired Army LTC
Hazel Robinson, Marine Corps Sgt Judith Carver, Navy PO1 Yulonda James, Air
Force SMSgt Sylvia Carey, and Coast Guard LT(JG) Sarah Janaro. It was a
great privilege at this year’s ceremony to have two distinguished guest
speakers and champions of military women. Joining us were Congresswoman
Susan Davis of California, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Women in the
Military/Veterans Task Force; and our keynote speaker Cheryl Beversdorf,
president and CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Our traditional signature event, beginning with the 1997 dedication of the Memorial, is the placement of rose petals in the Memorial Reflecting Pool in honor of the women, as well as other loved ones and friends, who have lost their lives since the previous Memorial Day. With this year’s inside ceremony, petals were placed in a ceremonial chalice for later placement in the pool. This year we honored 13 women from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with the reading of their names and rose petal tribute. One of the women, Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn Schulte, had died in Afghanistan just five days earlier. Groups paying tribute by the placing of memorial wreaths were the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, District of Columbia; Gold Star Wives; Blue Star Mothers of America; Alexandria American Legion Auxiliary Unit 24; and the WAC Veterans Association. We were grateful to have the support of the Military District of Washington with the participation of the Joint Service Color Guard, Marine Corps vocalist SSgt Sara Dell’Omo who sang the National Anthem, and Marine Corps bugler SSgt Amy McCabe who played “Taps.” Air Force Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Cherri Wheeler gave the invocation and benediction.

As many of us know, breaking tradition is hard, so following the ceremony and despite the rain, many of our guests made their way to the Reflecting Pool to scatter rose petals in honor of loved ones or fallen comrades. Thank you to everyone who came out to our Memorial Day celebrations at the Women’s Memorial!

 

 

(July 2009)