Fallen soldiers honored at Graceland Cemetery

Dozens of Crestonians were at Graceland Cemetery on Monday for a Memorial Day ceremony to honor those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice.

Gary O’Daniels, VFW 1797 post commander, presided over the ceremony. O’Daniels served the Eighth Engineer Battalion in Vietnam as a combat engineer.

“From the death of Major General Richard Montgomery on December 31, 1775, through February 5, 2020, when Army Sergeant First Class Javier Gutierrez, and Antonio Rodriguez were killed in Afghanistan. More than 1.3 million American military members have given their lives during war time for the United States of America,” he said.

O’Daniels reminded the audience of the history of the holiday.

“Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was the time set aside to honor the nation’s civil war dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield gave a speech at Arlington National Cemetery. Afterwards, 5000 participants helped decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there,” he explained.

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VFW Post 1797 Commander and Vietnam Veteran Gary O'Daniels opens the Memorial Day Ceremony at Graceland Cemetery Monday morning. (Jason O'Day)

O’Daniels listed the names and credentials of several men who are buried at Graceland in Creston. Some of them include:

Elijah Bennett Cast, who served the Union Army in Company A 46 of Illinois at Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1864, then in Texas in 1865.
Ray Conrad served the Army in World War I, as Sergeant in the 168th Infantry 42nd Division.
Millard E. Anderson fought in World War II as a 1st Lieutenant with Battery C of the 47th Army Battalion, serving as a field artillery commander.
Robert Charles Loudon, a Private First Class in the 32nd regiment of the seventh division of the Army in Korea. Loudon was killed in action.
Gary V. Oswald served the Navy in Vietnam as a 1st Class gunner’s mate.

Pat Prentice of Crest Baptist Church closed the ceremony with a benediction.

“Heavenly Father, we give great thanks for these names that were just read, just named from this local community,” Prentice said. “But Father, this is only one city, one state. As a country, as a nation, we give thanks to those that have given so graciously and given so much so that we can enjoy the freedoms that kept us safe.”