With Memorial Day celebrations and ceremonies throughout the area cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Milford Post 171 Commander Jim Eberly took time at this year's service to acknowledge those who fought the pandemic on the front lines.
“During the coronavirus pandemic, the most notable heroes are the healthcare professionals who are saving others and risking their own lives while doing so,” Eberly said during his address at Post 171's Memorial Day service at Blue Mound Cemetery May 31. “These heroes have much in common with the people we honor today. They are men and women who have sacrificed their own lives so others could live.”
Eberly said these workers bring to mind medics that put themselves in danger in wars and even died protecting soldiers who had been wounded. Medics in the military have also had to defend against viruses and diseases. Using the example of the 24th Infantry Regiment in the Spanish-American War, where 36 died due to yellow fever or malaria, Eberly said the most difficult enemy to fight is the one that's unseen.
“Even when the enemy is an invisble virus or a microscopic germ, the sacrifices made are just as meaningful,” he said. “The U.S. Military has lost service members to COVID-19.”
Eberly said that no matter the position heroes held in the military, their sacrifices would not be in vain. The legacies they leave behind, he said, are carried on through their families and loved ones.
“These are legacies our heroes leave behind,” he said. “A legacy that includes sons, daughters, grieving parents and grandparents and friends. Their heroic actions are sometimes performed to protect those with whom they serve.”
