Retired Col. Elizabeth Goolsby put the meaning into Memorial Day in paying respects to our U.S. military members who gave their lives for our freedom.
She needed no script.
She spoke from the heart.
“Call my name,” Goolsby, 78, told an estimated 200 people who gathered Monday at Freedom Memorial Park. “Tell my story. And never forget.”
Goolsby is the retired director of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fayetteville.
“If we fail to tell their stories,” she said, “we will soon forget.”
Each has a story, Goolsby said. They need to be remembered.
Goolsby was not alone in reminding us about the poignancy of Memorial Day.
“They have gone before us here,” Grilley Mitchell, an Army veteran and Hope Mills commissioner, prayed. “Let this day be a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives for our country.”
Army veteran Ann Provencher, who served as master of ceremonies, said Memorial Day is about fallen military members of all ranks and military branches, and all who fought with courage.
“As America approaches the celebration of America250, 250 years since the birth of this great nation, we are reminded that our story has always been written by courageous men and women willing to defend liberty,” she said. “Around here, patriotism is not just something we talk about. It’s something we live. You see it in the families who endure deployments. You see it in the Gold Star families who carry loss with dignity. You see it in veterans who still stand tall when they hear our National Anthem.
“President Ronald Reagan once said, ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.’ Those words ring true today. Freedom survives because generations of Americans chose service over self. They chose duty over comfort. They chose sacrifice over safety.
“From the beaches of Normandy to the frozen hills of Korea to the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Middle East, American warriors answered the call,” Provencher said. “And nowhere is that spirit stronger than here in Cumberland County.”
Kirk deViere, chair of the Cumberland Board of County Commissioners, read a proclamation recognizing the valor of the fallen as Cumberland County Memorial Day on behalf of fellow Commissioners Veronica Jones, Jeannette Council, Marshall Faircloth, Glenn Adams, Henry Tyson, and Pavan Patel.
“We know the families,” said deViere, an Army veteran. “We know the names. To the soldiers I served with, I remember you today. We owe all who sacrificed a tremendous debt.”
Unveiling a New Monument
Credit: Bill Kirby Jr. / CityView
The event on Monday included laying wreaths at the World War I Memorial Monument by the Cardinal Gibbons Assembly of the Knights of Columbus; the World War II Memorial Monument by the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Co.; the Korean War Memorial Monument by the Sergeants Major Association; the Vietnam War Memorial Monument by the 173rd Airborne Brigade Association in remembrance of Fallen Sky soldiers; the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Monument by the Cape Fear Chapter Military Officers Association of America; the Purple Heart Memorial Monument by the Chapter 226 Military Order of the Purple Heart; the POW/MIA Memorial Monument by Rolling Thunder North Carolina Chapter One; and the All Services Dedication Monument by the Cumberland County Veterans Council.
The day also saw the unveiling of a new park monument recognizing military members who died from combat wounds and related health issues after returning home from battle.
“It is a great day in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and a great day for all of us to come together to pay our respects to all who served and perished in combat in support of the greatest democracy in the history of mankind,” said Vietnam veteran Don Talbot, 86, who is founder and curator of the park (circa 1998). And, to never forget them who are ‘Missing in Action.’
“During these many years of developing Freedom Memorial Park, I always had a lingering thought that the park would not be complete without a memorial monument calling attention to the military, who died because of combat wounds later and away from the fray
“I quote the inscription on this memorial monument:
“‘In memory of the men and women who served in our nation’s wars and later died as a result of their service we honor and remember their sacrifice,’” Talbot said.
Epilogue
Retired Col. Elizabeth Goolsby was the voice for all military members once in uniform who gave the ultimate sacrifice for America’s liberty.
“We get so busy,” Goolsby later said. “Day by day, we take for granted our liberties and freedom. But it came at a cost. If we don’t remember them, if we don’t remember their stories and we forget their sacrifices … that’s not acceptable.”
Monday was for remembering.
“Call my name,” Goolsby said. “Tell my story. And never forget.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
