Memorial Day is a time to honor and remember the men and women who have given their lives in service to the country. The names of North Clark County service members who died in action can be found on the wall of the Battle Ground Veterans Memorial at Kiwanis Park.
On Monday, May 29, the City of Battle Ground set up chairs for attendees as around 100 people attended a 20-minute Memorial Day ceremony.
Battle Ground Mayor Philip Johnson acted as the master of ceremonies and kicked off the ceremony with the Pledge of Allegiance. Poems were recited and Dan Dingman played a battle hymn on the guitar before the names of fallen service members from North Clark County were read.
“It’s obvious that these folks gave their full measure and for us to remember that through the years is the smallest detail that we can do when you look at Memorial Day,” Johnson said. “Now, it’s about mattresses and car sales. Well, it’s more than that, and for us in North County, I hope that we always remember these men who over the years did give their full measure.”
After the names were read, another poem was recited, which was followed by Rob Ferrier, who played taps.
The Battle Ground Veterans Memorial is open year round.
“Even if you can’t make it out on an individual day of remembrance, it’s here for everybody to enjoy,” Battle Ground’s public information officer Alisha Smith said. “I think it’s kind of a warm embrace the way it’s kind of set up as this arc. It’s meant to be kind of a close, emotional space for people to grieve if they need to grieve or just celebrate if they need to celebrate.”
The ceremony and the names of the people who were read was a reminder that Memorial Day is a time to remember freedom is not free.
“So many young people now, I don’t think realize the sacrifice that people have made to get our country to where it is right now,” Dana Ham, a resident of Vancouver said while visiting the Lewisville Cemetery on Memorial Day. “We take so much for granted because we’ve had this freedom all of our lives and I think that’s a real problem even for adults now. We’re just so used to having it this way and most of us have never had to really give up a lot.”
