On his trips to Washington, D.C., former Green Beret Fred Horne could never bring himself to get up close to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Confronting the etched names of men he served with required a courage that the 20-year military veteran said he just couldn’t muster.
“I remember those faces today,” Horne said. “They died for a country that really didn’t appreciate them.”
Horne stood shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow former Green Berets and more than a hundred others in Boulder City on Sunday to pay their respect to those who have died serving in the military.
The gathering in the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery was the 32nd annual Memorial Day ceremony organized by the Las Vegas Chapter 51 of the Special Forces Association. The chapter also unveiled a new plaque displayed on the cemetery’s chapel that honors special forces members.
“As veterans, it is incumbent upon us to instill in all Americans why this day is celebrated and emphasize that it is a time to show reverence for the human losses in war,” chapter president Harold Wheeler said during the ceremony. “Let us remember freedom is not free. It is paid for in the lives of the brave.”
Attendees solemnly sat and stood as Wheeler talked about the sacrifices made by military members and their families. He spoke feet away from a statue commemorating the special forces. Near that statue was a battlefield cross constructed with a knife, combat boots and a rifle topped with a green beret.
Lonny Holmes, a former Green Beret who served in the Vietnam War, said Memorial Day gives him a time to reflect on his time as a medic in Vietnam and Thailand.
“I remember all the guys I served with, both overseas and in the United States,” Holmes said. “Most of them are gone now, some of them are still in Vietnam… but all those memories are fantastic.”
The annual ceremony also helps keep him connected with other veterans, Holmes said. He called Sunday’s gathering one of the best the chapter has ever had.
After the ceremony, Horne looked through his tinted sunglasses out at the cemetery’s graveyard, awash with fluttering American flags. He pointed to the tombstones among the sea of red, white and blue and said “those are the ones that are the heroes.”
Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
