Crowd observes Memorial Day with service at Charles City VFW grounds

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Patriotic music, a mayoral proclamation and an admonition from the guest speaker to “ensure that we remember and honor our fallen heroes, remember our history” were part of the Memorial Day service held Monday morning on the grounds of the VFW in Charles City.

More than 150 people gathered on a picture perfect start-of-summer morning to remember and pay tribute to the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country.

The Charles City High School band provided music, including the national anthem and other patriotic tunes, and Pastor Patty Kellogg offered the opening and closing prayers.

American Legion Auxiliary President Kathy Girkin laid a memorial wreath at the foot of the flagpole and Mayor Dean Andrews gave a few words then read a proclamation.

“It’s nice to see so many people here to honor our veterans. especially those who have given their lives in service to our country,” Andrews said. “We’re fortunate to have a day like today where we take time out to honor those veterans, but it’s unfortunate that we don’t do this more often during the year.

“We need to remember our veterans every day of the year, not just on Memorial Day. So take some time out today, especially, but take some time out during the year to think about those who have fought for our freedoms,” Andrews said.

Phillip Knighten, a Marine veteran and current City Council member who is the VFW post adjutant and quartermaster, served as master of ceremonies and introduced the guest speaker, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Rachel Fails of the Iowa Army/Air National Guard, who grew up in Nashua.

Knighten said she joined the Army National Guard in 1986 at age 17 and retired in May 2020 after 34 years of service, with numerous overseas deployments including the Gulf War, the Iraq War and deployment in support of the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo.

“As the state command sergeant major, she was the principal senior advisor to the adjutant general in all issues related to the enlisted affairs of over 7,000 soldiers of the Iowa Army National guard,” Knighten said.

Fails said Memorial Day has become the traditional beginning of summer, and many people will enjoy a day off of work with barbecues and family get-togethers, with maybe a limited or passing thought to the meaning of the day.

“I know it is certainly not intentional, but it is a reflection of the declining impact and focus of military service to our country, which now falls on the shoulders of a really small proportion of our society,” she said.

“This really is a uniquely special day. Memorial Day is our day to remember and pay tribute to the courageous men and women who have given their lives in service to our nation. Today we honor and remember our fallen soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and coast guardsmen – ordinary men and women who really accomplished some pretty extraordinary things,” Fails said.

“They are the ones that fought in battle to create our nation. Eighty years later they battled again to preserve the union of our nation and to end the blight of slavery. They’re the ones who saved the world from the terror of the Nazis during World War II. They stopped the spread of communism during Korea and Vietnam, stopped the genocide of whole ethnic populations in the Balkans, and sacrificed to protect our homeland and the rest of the world from another 9/11,” she said.

Fails also detailed the sacrifices that Iowans specifically have made as part of the armed forces, again going back to the Revolutionary War.

“Never forget these men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom. And also remember that they left behind friends and families and neighbors and extended community that also suffer from their loss,” Fails said.

After the service a lunch was served in the VFW hall.