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RR Memorial Day ceremony gathers crowd
A wreath is placed for the Memorial Day ceremony as Marine Corps veteran Rick Young and Mayor Gregg Hull look on.
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RIO RANCHO — A solemn yet celebratory day, Memorial Day honors and mourns military personnel who have died while serving. Rio Rancho held its annual ceremony for the day May 26 at Veterans Monument Park.
Several people spoke about the importance of remembering fallen soldiers, a running joke with many of the Marine Corps Veterans sharing their thoughts. Each person that spoke was given a crayon.
“For those of you that don’t know about the crayon in the Marine Corps, we got a saying that they ate the whole crayon and some guys eat the whole box,” veteran Vince Carrillo explained as part of a history lesson on Memorial Day.
For some, the phrase “crayon-eater” is used as a derogatory term for members in the Marines. Members of the Corps took ownership of the joke.
“Really what that means is you take the traditions, the culture and everything of the Marine Corps. That’s what makes us the fighting force that we are,” Carrillo said.
He got serious after explaining the joke and went into the history of Memorial Day. He said originally it was called “Declaration Day” to commemorate those who died during the Civil War, first held nationally May 30, 1868. That ceremony involved attendees decorating the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.
The day became more widely established through the course of both World Wars, and United States Congress passed an act that made the last Monday of May Memorial Day beginning in 1971.
To deliver a proclamation for the day and say a few words, Mayor Gregg Hull stepped up to the podium.
“Memorial Day is not just a date on the calendar. It’s a sacred tradition,” Hull said.
He talked about the memorial monument surrounding the ceremony, stating that each of the names represents someone’s family.
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“Each one tells a story of a son, a daughter, a father, a mother, a friend or a neighbor. They wore the uniform of our nation, not for recognition or reward, but out of duty, love of country and commitment to something greater than themselves,” he said.
Toward the end of the ceremony, Hull closed with a message to the kids of Rio Rancho.
“We’re here today for a very important reason, and that very important reason is you live in the greatest country in the world. There are many men and women that are currently serving to protect your freedoms today,” he said.
While the speeches covered the importance of Memorial Day, there were some public displays that didn’t need words. The quiet field of grass at the park was full of small American flags. After the ceremony, some of those kids Hull was talking to placed their own flag in the ground.
The park was also decorated with boots of fallen soldiers and symbols from each era of war from Civil War to involvement in Iraq.
The familiar sound of “Taps” played on the trumpet, the national anthem performed on the flute and “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes were the hallmarks of what Memorial Day is about. Gunmen also performed a 21-gun salute.
Throughout the speeches, the theme of remembrance rang true.
