Memorial Day prayer at the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial
Memorial Day in Westminster - From left, Jan Battaglini,
Glenn Bair, Sally Adams and Doug Battaglini, all of Westminster, gather during
a prayer at the Carroll County Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Westminster Monday,
May 25, 2015. (DYLAN SLAGLE/CARROLL COUNTY TIMES /May 25, 2015) - See more at:
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/ph-cc-memorial-day-parade-052615-20150526,0,4595380.story
Not pictured, behind Doug Battaglini was Kevin E. Dayhoff
and LTC. Ronald Hollingsworth, US Army (Ret.)
Memorial Day prayer at the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial
As has been our routine dating back to the 1990s, a number
of us gather at the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial at Willis and Court Streets
in Westminster across the street from the historic Carroll County Courthouse.
The Carroll County Maryland Vietnam Memorial Park was dedicated
on May 28, 1990. There are 19 names on the memorial. Of the 19 names – 17
killed in action, one missing in action and a former prisoner of war - some we
knew. Some we didn’t. But they were all someone’s son or father or
brother or uncle – or a cherished childhood friend. Their faces have been silent for many years,
but they all have a story to tell.
Over 2.7 million Americans served in the Vietnam War. The average age was 19. Of that number, 300,000 were wounded in
action, and 75,000 were disabled. It has
been estimated that almost 5 million military personnel and civilians, from all
sides, lost their life in the Vietnam War.
Of the 58,200 names listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington,
1,046 are Marylanders who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War.
This year our prayer was:
Put on the whole armor of God
May 25, 2015 Memorial Day CC Vietnam Memorial prayer
By Kevin E. Dayhoff, Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co.
No. 1 and Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20 Chaplain.
The Lord be with you. Heavenly Father, Hear our prayer
We are brought here together through your common call to
service to our family, community and country. We ask that God's healing and
loving presence be with all of us today on Memorial Day who may have unspoken
needs.
We have gathered here in your name as we have been called to
be a people of prayer. We praise you because you are our creator, our redeemer
and our provider.
We especially approach you today with humility and age in
the shadow of the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial as we pay our respects to our
fallen sons of Carroll.
Bless the souls of those brave American heroes from Carroll
County on the black granite monument at the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial who
died in Vietnam. We lift up and place in your loving arms the eighteen fallen
sons of Carroll, individually by name and together as a family. We pray that
they all be remembered by our children and our children’s children.
We pray that we may (Ephesians 6:11,) “Put on the whole
armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,” and
be armed with the power of the Spirit, so that we may continue to make the
Gospel understandable to those of us who after many years still have unanswered
questions…
In the name of all we've learned by the Vietnam experience,
God grant us a lasting love of peace and our fellow humans.
Refresh our hearts with peace and love as we reconcile the
Vietnam experiences with our current lives.
For all those who selflessly put themselves in dangers way
to protect others … let us pray to the Lord.
We know the good that comes to those who believe and are
called for a greater purpose.
Bless this time together and for the many ways you reveal
yourself to us, we gratefully praise you.
Remember those who serve for our public safety and
community. Keep them safe as they protect and serve. Allow the Holy Spirit to
work in and through us to effect the accomplishment of this prayer. AMEN
