Command Sgt. Maj. John M. Lepowsky was a first sergeant in the Minnesota National Guard in 2004 when he was deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom.
During that tour, he made it a habit of leaving his base to attend memorial services for soldiers who died.
“So today, as every year since then, I look back at those who lost their lives while I was overseas, and it brings back a special memory for me,” Lepowsky told several hundred people Monday at McLeod County Veterans Memorial Park.
Under cool, cloudy skies, Lepowsky — Hutchinson's Memorial Day program keynote speaker — said those at Monday's program are like other Americans who honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Countless volunteers plant American flags on each grave in our national cemeteries,” he said. “So Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans Day. Veterans Day is the day when we celebrate the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who died while serving their country.”
Lepowsky recounted a partial list from Wikipedia of American war deaths since the U.S. declared its independence:
American Revolutionary War: 25,000
Civil War: 750,000
World War I: 116,516
World War II: 405,399
Korean War: 54,246
Vietnam War: 58,209
Iraq and Afghanistan wars: 6,717
Lepowsky noted that some soldiers volunteered and others were drafted. “But they all made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
But it's not just soldiers who have died to protect their country, he said.
“Since 9-11, at least in the town in which I live in — I think many communities around Minnesota and around the nation — we not only honor those who died in war, but also those who serve us every day,” he added. “The EMTs, our firefighters and all members of law enforcement.”
All must be remembered, he said.
“They silently protect us, they watch over us,” he said. “The people that allow us to live our lives in freedom every day. Remember, Memorial Day is a day of solemn mourning, but it is also a day of reverent celebration, a day of celebration of those who dared all, who gave all so that we may continue to enjoy the freedoms and the benefits of this great nation.
“So I'll leave you with this: When our country calls upon us, it's an honor. But it's not just an honor for those of us who served, but it's also an honor for our families, for our friends and our communities. For it is with their support — our families, our friends and our communities — that we are able to do the job that we do.”
