Memorial Day ceremony in Cedar City honors those who gave ‘last full measure of devotion’

Written by Jeff Richards
May 30, 2022

CEDAR CITY — Approximately 300 people, including many military veterans and their families, attended a special Memorial Day ceremony at Cedar City Cemetery on Monday.

Memorial Day activities at Cedar City Cemetery, Cedar City, Utah, May 30, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The short program started as young cadets from the Cedar City Civil Air Patrol conducted the flag ceremony. The color guard raised the U.S. and the POW-MIA flags to the top of the pole, then solemnly lowered them to half-staff as “Taps” was played.

The audience then recited the pledge of allegiance, after which a 21-gun salute was performed, courtesy of the Iron County Veterans Coalition, which includes members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10846, American Legion Post 74 and their respective auxiliaries.

Utah Army National Guard Master Sgt. Brent Bergener then laid a ceremonial wreath at the veterans memorial.

American Legion Post 74 Commander John Fenn then addressed the crowd, noting service members who went missing in action or were taken as prisoners of war.

“Over 83,000 service personnel are still unaccounted for,” he said as he then explained the symbolic significance of a small ceremonial POW-MIA table that had been set for one, but whose chair sat empty.

“Let us remember and never forget their sacrifice,” he said. “May God forever watch over them and protect them and their families.”

Fenn also spoke of the significance and history of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day activities at Cedar City Cemetery, Cedar City, Utah, May 30, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“​​We gather here today in this special and sacred place, and join with millions of others throughout our great country to remember those who have given in the words of Abraham Lincoln, ‘the last full measure of devotion,’” Fenn said. “This particular place is truly special and sacred because it contains not just the remains of those who have left us but the memories that we have of them and their great sacrifice.”

Fenn noted that Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, dates back to just after the U.S. Civil War had ended, with the occasion serving as “a way of recognizing those hundreds of thousands who gave up their lives for a cause they were willing to die for.”

“Over the years we have used this day to recognize those who have given their lives in those wars since the Civil War,” he added.

Fenn also quoted the words of Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at a dedication at Gettysburg in 1889, saying: “In great deeds, something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls.”

“My friends and fellow veterans, it’s my fervent hope that we continue to recognize and remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom,” Fenn concluded. “May we never forget. May God bless the United States of America.”

After the ceremony concluded, attendees were invited to linger and visit the graves of their loved ones. Several hundred flags had been placed by volunteers to mark the final resting places of military veterans throughout the cemetery.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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