Braves honor past, present servicemembers Published May 29, 2012 By Senior Airman Elizabeth Gaston 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs ATLANTA -- To some Americans, Memorial Day is just another excuse to eat their favorite barbecue, imbibe in their favorite drink or, unfortunately, abuse the very freedoms generations of servicemembers died to give them. What does Memorial Day really mean, though? Historically, Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. While Waterloo, N.Y was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by former President Lyndon Johnson May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that Memorial Day had many separate beginnings. Memorial Day was first proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, according to the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs. Memorial Day is now celebrated in every state on the last Monday in May. Servicemembers from around the Southeast, including Reservists from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, were invited to Turner Field on May 28 to help the Atlanta Braves honor past and present members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard in a pregame ceremony. Army Officer Candidates from Fort Benning, Ga. lined the bases to pay tribute to all those in the crowd who have served in the Armed Forces. Five stars were displayed and held by members of Operation Homefront. Each of the five, represented a service, with a sixth star that represented all veterans who have served. Operation Homefront provides direct services to alleviate a military family's or individual's actual/complete emergency financial burden, as well as counseling and/or recovery support, according to Operation Homefront officials. The target population is American military personnel and their families who have unmet needs due to financial hardship, death, injury or physical or mental detriment as a result of service in Iraq or Afghanistan. These may include active duty, Reserve, National Guard and veteran service members. Representatives of all the services unfurled a 150-foot wide American flag in center field. Holding the center of the flag and responsible to overall position on the playing field stood Tech. Sgt. Shakela T. McNeill, 951st Force Support Combat Training School instructor on Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Atlanta native. "I've been around the world and back," said McNeill. "I've loved every second of it. This ceremony did a good job of representing our fallen Soldiers, Airmen, Seamen and Marines that have given their last breath protecting us." As the entire contingent of sister services worked together to honor the generations of veterans before them, rivalries were easily forgotten and replaced with pride in their combined efforts, many of whom couldn't imagine their lives without being a part of the military. Master Sgt. Elena Lund, 94th Airlift Wing law office superintendent, was one of those that enjoyed participating in the ceremony alongside her sister services. "The ceremony was a good tribute to the veterans as well as to those still serving," said Lund. "My favorite part was the interaction I had with our sister services in preparing for the ceremony. I worked with the Navy and the Army, officers and enlisted alike." A moment of silence was observed for the fallen, only broken by the cracks of a 21-gun salute followed by echo taps. Memorial Day is a time of reflection for all the individuals who have served, said Lund. Sometimes people come into the military and serve for a number of years and get out, or join for only couple of months and are killed. This is everybody's time to remember those who have served. The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem, sung by Army Sgt. Corrin Campbell, 1st Cavalry Division combat veteran from Duluth, MN, currently assigned to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Fort Knox, Ky., and a flyover by two F-16 jets from the 100th Fighter Squadron, 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard. During this extensive display of patriotism, all present remained solemn, even reverent. If anyone had plans involving food, drink or thoughts of anything other than pure love of their country and those who have protected it, they hid it remarkably well. Unfortunately, for America's team, the St. Louis Cardinals put up eight runs to the Braves' mere two runs. Fortunately, for America, the showing of pride and support was much grander.
