Published: May 25, 2009 04:57 pm      

Rain holds off for Mill Springs Memorial Day program

Somerset — Gray clouds rolled overhead at the Mill Springs National Cemetery, but even the rain stood still in solemn remembrance Monday as fallen heroes were honored and cherished.

The annual Memorial Day Service at the final resting place for so many of this nation’s veterans — located along Ky. 80 only yards away from the site of the Civil War’s Battle of Mill Springs — was threatened by rainy weather, but while the skies were dry, the eyes were not for many of those in attendance who had loved ones serve and even die in uniform.

Many survive and continue to carry on their tradition, however, such as members of the American Legion Post 38 Honor Guard. Proud individuals clad in green stood watch amongst the clean white gravestones as speakers offered words and plaques of appreciation were given to the Honor Guard’s long-standing participants.

The guest speaker this year was a man very familiar with the type of hallowed ground on which Mill Springs’ headstones stand. Glenn Madderom is Chief Engineer for the National Cemetery Administration Memorial Service Network 4 region, which oversees engineering and construction issues for 27 national cemeteries in nine Midwestern states, including Kentucky. Prior to that, he spent 19 years working for the Veterans Administration as a construction engineer overseeing large expansion projects at VA medical centers in California, Texas, Illinois, and Indiana.

“The America we know today would not be the same were it nor for the men and women we are here to honor today,” said Madderom. “Much of the contemporary history of the world was shaped and molded by the tens of millions of American veterans who put their lives on hold to wear the uniform.

“Who among us could even begin to contemplate the world today had courageous defenders of freedom not stood fast against the scourge of Nazi fascism or ruthless Japanese imperialism in the Pacific?”

Madderom reminded the crowd that the latest generation of servicemen and women are engaged in similar struggles, returning from places like Iraq and Afghanistan — if they return at all. He also noted that 123 national cemeteries are hosting events similar to the one at Mill Springs, and that Kentucky alone has seven such burial grounds that began with Civil War heritage, as did Nancy’s.

“I urge you to visit them all if you get the chance,” he said “They are moving beyond words. ... Let us never stop educating our youth about the price that has been paid for their freedom. A trip with them one of our nation’s sacred shrines — our veterans’ cemeteries — is a good place to start.”

Though the cemetery providing an eternal home for those who served their country in arms was a humble reminder of Madderom’s message, that “freedom isn’t free,” it was also a time to celebrate those still with us. Post 38 members who have performed military rites for fallen comrades included Morris Chumbly, Homer Davis, Winn Dotson, Henry Hamilton, Kenney Hamilton, Paul Hinkle, Bill Messer, Paul Sluder, Glenn Whitaker, Boyd Begley, Les Bridges, Charles Coomer, Larry Cooper, Clarence Floyd, W.W. Freeman, Gene Hansford, Glenn Hillidge, Ray Walter, Elden Yahning, Omar Snell, and Jim Vaught.

Four of those — Freeman, Hansford, Walters, and Yahning — were particularly noted for having been a part of the Honor Guard for almost two decades.

Gilbert Wilson, in his first year as Mill Springs Battlefield Administrator, estimated that there were about 300 in attendance — down a bit from normal, perhaps due to concerns about the weather, yet Wilson was filled with pride at how the event turned out.

“I’m so pleased to see all the support from the community,” said Wilson. “I was a little nervous about things going right, because we really want to honor these people and their families the way they need to be honored.”

Wilson recalled how far back this event stretches as part of the community consciousness — as so many buried in Mill Springs fought in World War II, it seems hard to imagine a world before that, but large numbers came out to recognize veterans even prior to that great war.

“Some of the older people in my church talked about riding in a wagon all the way from Oak Hill out here, and they’d spend the whole day,” said Wilson. “They would picnic and commemorate all the war veterans — World War I veterans, Spanish-American War, and Civil War, because World War II hadn’t occurred yet.

“It’s really a great pleasure for me to be a part of this.”