It came toward the end of the Memorial Day observance at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens – after the pomp of the colors procession and the somber tributes by dignitaries but before the stark rifle salute and the mournful notes of taps.
It was a choir’s rendition of “God Bless the USA,” the same song they were playing when her son boarded a bus on his way to fight in Iraq. “I’m proud to be an American,” the song goes, “where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”
“That’s the last time I ever saw him,” Faulstich said of her son.
Army Pfc. Raymond J. Faulstich Jr., a 24-year-old from Leonardtown, died last August near Najaf when the convoy he was traveling in came under fire.
The ceremony in Timonium yesterday honored Faulstich, the dozen other Maryland servicemen killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the last year, and the countless soldiers who’ve fallen through the years while fighting for the United States.
Speakers included Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Master Sgt. Matthew P. Eversmann, who in 1993 led a doomed Army Ranger raid in Somalia that was portrayed in the book and movie Black Hawk Down, and who is now an ROTC instructor at the Johns Hopkins University.
“For many of us, every day is Memorial Day,” said Eversmann, who spoke about his daughter and how her world and her values will be shaped by battles fought around the globe, in faraway spots such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
“All she has is because a precious few answered the call and said, ‘Here I am – send me,'” he said.
Organizers estimated that more than 1,000 people gathered for the tribute, an annual event created in the 1950s by John Armiger Sr., a World War II Army veteran and Towson attorney who wanted to be sure people remembered the real meaning of Memorial Day.
On the serene May morning, the gardens felt parklike, with their tree-ringed grassy slopes. Only the hundreds of tiny flags, their poles punched into the earth, each flying next to a grave, told differently. And the hundreds of people there, clustered under white tents, many dressed in red, white and blue, looked festive enough for a party. But belying that were the tissues clutched in their hands, ready to wipe away furtive tears.
Although the songs and the prayers and the tributes certainly brought grief, for some the emotion was pride. They stood with their hands over their hearts as 229th Maryland Army National Guard Band played “The Star-Spangled Banner.” And they applauded vigorously for veterans mentioned by name.
Ehrlich sparked enthusiastic clapping by telling the crowd that the forces fighting in Iraq are there to liberate the country rather than conquer it. He also urged observers to mind the holiday’s significance.
“As we visit malls and watch ballgames and eat a burger in the back yard,” Ehrlich said, “remember those in harm’s way, fighting to guarantee your ability to do so.”
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The governor took a moment at the microphone to plug a bill that would provide a tax break for veterans – a way, he said, to show the military some appreciation “besides a thank-you.”
“We salute their heroism, their courage and their sacrifice,” Ehrlich said.
After the ceremony, Gene Arthur of Ferndale stood back a ways from the hub, in the area dedicated to Vietnam veterans, an area known as the “circle of the immortals.” Because of health reasons, he said, he never had the opportunity to fight for his country. And he has been lucky enough never to have lost a loved one to war.
But, with eyes filled up, he said he wouldn’t have missed this observance for anything.
“How could I not?” he said, motioning to the expanse of tiny flags fluttering in the breeze. “How could I not?”
<!– ART CREDITGLENN FAWCETT : SUN STAFF PHOTOS
ART CREDIT–> <!– CUTLINE TEXTSusan O'Neill visits her father's grave after a Memorial Day ceremony at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. Her father, Edward James Sinon, served in World War II from 1942 to 1945. More than 1,000 people came to the ceremonies yesterday.
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ART CREDIT–> <!– CUTLINE TEXTGov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. kisses Linda Faulstich; Raymond J. Faulstich Sr. is in the background. Their son, Army Pfc. Raymond J. Faulstich Jr. of Leonardtown, died in August near Najaf, Iraq.
CUTLINE TEXT–> <!– ART CREDITGLENN FAWCETT : SUN STAFF
ART CREDIT–> <!– CUTLINE TEXTThe family of Army Pfc. Raymond J. Faulstich Jr. – brother Greg Faulstich (left), sister Jackie Stone, mother Linda Faulstich and father Raymond J. Faulstich Sr. – attend the ceremony.
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