Balad Airmen honor fallen on Memorial Day

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. LuCelia Ball
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  About 300 Airmen here gathered May 28 to honor the servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice defending freedom. They also added a 33rd name to the Fallen Airman Memorial.

The ceremony opened with the posting of the colors, the National Anthem and a chaplain invocation.

For most people, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer, but millions who have and continue to serve mark Memorial Day solemnly in honor of their fallen comrades, said Brig. Gen. Robin Rand, the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander.

"I've written many letters and made countless phone calls to parents, wives, brothers, sisters and fiancés in my 11 months here, and I've always marveled how people, even in the midst of their grief over their loved one, always take the time to pass along their thanks and to ask about the welfare of the other Airmen," General Rand said.

Part of the ceremony included a 33-Airman formation. As a narrator solemnly read 33 names, an Airman from the formation took one step forward, and bowed his or her head, acknowledging the life and spirit of a fellow Airman killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Following the reading of the names, a 33rd name was unveiled on the memorial. Staff Sgt. John Self, a security forces defender with the Detachment 3, 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Camp Liberty, Baghdad, was killed May 14 while conducting a combat patrol in the Rasheed District of Baghdad. After the unveiling, General Rand, Col. Lawrence Jackson, 732nd Air Expeditionary Group commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Scott Dearduff, 332nd AEW command chief master sergeant, laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial.

"The inscription on the Korean War Memorial reads, 'Freedom is not free,'" General Rand said. "No one knows that more than the families who have lost loved ones. For them, Memorial Day has taken on a special meaning."

A 21-gun salute, the singing of "Taps" and the raising of the flag from half-staff topped off the ceremony. Members of the Balad Air Base Honor Guard each took the honor of guarding the memorial until the end of the day. As the ceremony ended, all was silent as the crowd quietly moved away.

"This was the finest Memorial Day Ceremony that I have ever witnessed," Chief Dearduff said. "Every aspect was flawless, every move crisp, every Airman dedicated to the mission of honoring our Fallen Airmen. It was appropriate to remember them solemnly and to focus on their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families."

More than 3,000 U.S. servicemembers have given their lives in support of the war on terrorism.

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