CHESTER, NH – Chester Lions Club on Monday held its Memorial Day Service at the Chester Village Cemetery. The guest speakers at the event included U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, NH State Senator Bill Gannon, and NH State Representative Jess Edwards.
Pastor Teresa Rogers from the Chester Congregational Baptist Church offered an invocation to start the solemn ceremony. Boy Scout Troop 163 provided an Honor Guard, and Girl Scout Troop 63135 performed Patriotic songs.
NH State Representative Jess Edwards served in the Army Medical Corps for over thirty years and retired at the Rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He spoke of how, after spending the majority of his military career in non-hostile conditions, he was deployed to Afghanistan.
During that deployment, he became acutely aware of who we “memorialize” on Memorial Day. He told the stories of two soldiers he served with and their tragic combat deaths. His personal connection to them was apparent, but his point was to honor the universal nature of their sacrifice for the country.
“I share these stories with you, although they’re a bit graphic for a younger audience, I do think it’s important to draw these connections between real people and real lives. So with that, I’d just like you to think of Don Gorg and Paul T. Nakamura today, keep them in your thoughts along with anyone else that you may have known that has fallen on behalf of our nation,” said Edwards
Senator Hassan began by saying, “ On Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who gave their lives for our country, who gave up everything just so that others, people whom they never met, could live in freedom. With their sacrifice, they purchased for us not only freedom from tyranny and the freedom to live in a democracy, but also the freedom to experience a multitude of life’s ordinary moments. Raising kids, finding love, or enjoying the stillness of a summer afternoon. These are the joys that they gave up for our sake when they became, to borrow from the poet Eber Winters, “Hostages to eternity.”
Noting this year as the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, she reflected on the sacrifices of the “greatest generation”. As A Senator, she attended both the 75th and 80th anniversary celebrations for Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. Her Father was a veteran of the Bulge.
She told the story of Private Raymond Cole, a NH Native and Army Ranger who died at Pointe Du Hoc during the Normandy invasion. She visited his grave during one of her Normandy trips. Of the 200 Rangers in his unit who scaled the cliffs that day, only 50 remained standing, but they managed to overrun German artillery and gun positions, turning the tide of the battle.
The Senator told Private Coles’ Story to give context to the stakes present in the Second World War and the risk of not recalling the lessons learned.
“As the World War II and Holocaust generations pass on into history, I’m deeply concerned that their painful, searing lessons will pass with them. Already in our country, there’s a growing element that argues that America should retreat from the world stage, that the problems halfway across the world do not affect us, and that we would be better off trying to appease dictators like Vladimir Putin, even as he seeks to conquer Ukraine. Some voices from the fringe take a step further and have pushed historical revisionism, suggesting that America should not have fought World War II or opposed Hitler at all !’
“At the same time, there’s been a dramatic surge in antisemitism in both word and deed, unlike any that I have witnessed in my lifetime. Antisemitic slurs and conspiracy theories, along with justification and even celebration of violent extremism, have become disturbingly common,” said the Senator.
Speaking of the sacrifice of Cole and all the others who have fallen, she said, “He was one of the brave Americans who defended freedom in an hour of danger; he would not be the last. And what kind of country did he and others before and since give their lives for? Well, that is up for all of us to answer. I hope that the answer is a country where freedom always rings, where veterans are always cared for, where hate has no harbor. A country that stands up to tyrants abroad and never forgets our history.”