Lorraine American Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony - 25 May 2008
On 25 May 2008, myself and 23 sailors in uniform attended the annual Lorraine American Cemetery Memorial Day ceremony. Our unit, ELU-1, has been doing this for three years now. The cemetery is only an hour away from the base here but contains the graves and commemoration to unknown soldiers totaling almost 11,000, making it the largest WWII cemetery in Europe.
The ceremony itself is always spectacular and this year was no different. Joining us this year was the US Air Force in their separate formation making the ceremony represented by all branches except the Marine Corp. Included were French military and an ROTC unit.
There were 30 or so wreaths presented by various groups in attendance and I chose the most junior sailor to assist me in laying a wreath to honor the fallen Americans resting in Lorraine. I humbly offered our unit’s wreath as a gesture of thanks to the brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines who secured the freedom we enjoy to this day.
The men and women of ELU-1 were eager to participate and received many accolades from the Superintendant on their sharp appearance and professionalism. It truly was an honor for me to be leading these sailors. They are representative of our nation’s future.
The ceremony itself is always spectacular and this year was no different. Joining us this year was the US Air Force in their separate formation making the ceremony represented by all branches except the Marine Corp. Included were French military and an ROTC unit.
There were 30 or so wreaths presented by various groups in attendance and I chose the most junior sailor to assist me in laying a wreath to honor the fallen Americans resting in Lorraine. I humbly offered our unit’s wreath as a gesture of thanks to the brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines who secured the freedom we enjoy to this day.
The men and women of ELU-1 were eager to participate and received many accolades from the Superintendant on their sharp appearance and professionalism. It truly was an honor for me to be leading these sailors. They are representative of our nation’s future.
