Flags Fly, Fallen Remembered On Our Beautiful Memorial Day

With blue skies and sunshine, it was a beautiful day to remember our military service men and women.

U.S. Army Vietnam veteran James Martin always calls it his “duty” to emcee the Noblesville Memorial Day Ceremony at the Hamilton County War Memorial in downtown Noblesville.

He welcomed the large crowd to Monday morning’s ceremony, which he refers to as “a day of remembrance and a day of sacrifice.”

He shared the history of “Old Glory,” the name given a particular American flag that was flown by William Driver, a former sea captain, from Nashville, Tenn., who called his flag “Old Glory.”

Martin said, “As we go along today and as we see flags go up and down and as we see graves with flags on them, stop and think about what’s really going on.”

He said there were 50 people on Saturday at Crownland Cemetery putting more than 1,000 flags on graves. “I remember a time when there were four of us,” Martin said. There were Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, members of the VFW and the American Legion and Navy Club. “We had people we didn’t even know who showed up to help us. Absolutely amazing. I want to thank all of those people.” He also thanked City of Noblesville workers who put up flags in Riverside Cemetery.

Martin went on to read the words to George M. Cohan’s song, “You’re A Grand Old Flag.”

Veterans waved American flags. They donned military ball caps denoting their branch of service or the war in which they served.

The ceremony, Martin always has said, is “an honor” and “a privilege to do something for Memorial Day on the Square in Noblesville.” And the ceremony is similar every year and includes many traditions, including inviting the Noblesville Mayor to speak.

“We are honored today by the presence of our mayor,” Martin said, preparing to turn over the microphone to Mayor Chris Jensen.

“It’s a glorious day in Noblesville,” said Jensen, who thanked all of the veterans in attendance “on behalf of the 71,000 residents who call Noblesville home.”

Jensen said, “God bless you, and thank you for your service.”

It’s one of the mayor’s “highest honors,” he said, to speak each year at the Memorial Day service at the Hamilton County War Memorial in downtown Noblesville.

Jensen was joined by two of his children, whom he referred to as his “groupies.” They listened quietly as their dad gave his always flawless Memorial Day speech.

“Today is a day of mixed emotions for me. In fact, this is a weekend of mixed emotions for me,” he said. “Like so many Hoosiers, this weekend is one of the most exciting weekends in the entire year.”

With race cars, cookouts and more, Jensen said he took his son to the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, and he saw some “Gold Star families,” who lost family members in the Iraq War, and are entitled to display a Gold Star.

Being such a beautiful day in Indiana, “a somber day,” it “truly is a day of celebration. It’s a day of remembrance, it’s a day of just honoring those who fought for us to stand on this blue sky, crisp May morning, to thank them, to thank all of those who came before us, to thank all of those who stand with us.”

Earlier in the ceremony, Martin thanked former Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear and his wife, Teri, who were in the crowd attending Monday’s Memorial Day service. John Ditslear, a U.S. Navy veteran, formerly had the duty of speaking at the service during his four terms as mayor, 2004-2019.

U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN-05) shared a powerful note from her friend Dave, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Special Operations, who wrote about his fallen friend who died in Afghanistan. Here is a snippet:

“What does it mean to honor the fallen? In a word: Rise. Rise to the occasion ..… But, what actions truly honor? Laying wreaths, rendering salutes, and pausing for moments of silence are all commendable, but they fall short of true honor when compared to the immense gravity of the ultimate sacrifices they recognize ….. When faced with difficult decisions, withering opposition, physical and psychological peril, certain defeat, reprisal, hopelessness, chaos, and terror, we rise to honor the fallen. When the occasion calls for sacrifice, we rise to honor the fallen. Sacrifice can only be truly honored by sacrifice. Courage can only be truly honored by courage. When it is our turn to honor those who have mortally proven their resolve, we must rise with courage to sacrifice. It is in these moments, where courage and resolve are tested, that we can with conviction rise to honor the fallen. And in doing so, we will stand as living testaments to those sacred words, ‘that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

The ceremony is a tradition annually made possible by the Ralph Lehr Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6246 and the Noblesville American Legion Frank Huntzinger Post 45.

The Navy Club USA Ship No . 29, the Indiana National Guard, retired military personnel and color guard are always among the volunteers. This year, the American Veteran Riders Association, based in Noblesville, wearing black American Veteran Riders Association vests, assisted as veteran Mollie Menchaca laid the wreath during the Memorial Day Ceremony. Menchaca was born and raised in Kentucky and went into the military right after high school. She was a medic in the Women’s Army Corps in 1967-68 in Fort Meade, Va. She once said, “It was one of those times when jobs were scarce, and I had an interest in the military because I had brothers that were in the military, and I felt like I wanted to support them.”

Menchaca’s daughter-in-law, Teri Menchaca, carried a basket of flags, poppies and literature about the poppy, which has become recognized as the memorial flower throughout the world. Since 1922, the VFW has conducted an annual distribution of the “Buddy” poppy to raise funds for its charitable programs on behalf of the needy and disabled veterans and the surviving family members of deceased veterans. Today, the Buddy Poppy is distributed by posts and auxiliaries of the VFW in every state of the union and in dozens of other countries, and by the American Legions. About 10 million Buddy Poppies are distributed annually, most between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, with more than $12 million raised each year through the distribution of the Buddy Poppy. Teri Menchaca wants people to learn about this Buddy Poppy, which should be worn proudly.

Memorial Day was known as Declaration Day until 1971 when it became Memorial Day. The date of Memorial Day was changed from May 30 to the last Monday in the month of May “so we could have a three-day weekend,” Martin has noted.

The ceremony was followed by a 21-gun rifle salute and Taps on the Square, followed by a service at Riverside Cemetery, where U.S. Navy veteran Ron Wilson read the names of veterans buried at Riverside Cemetery. Following, there was a Remembrance Service at Crownland Cemetery, which Wilson also led, with rifle salute and Taps also at those locations.

A free luncheon, open to the community, followed all of the ceremonies at the American Legion, where Post Commander John Morris and others worked the kitchen and served up lunch to a packed dining room.

The afternoon spent at the Legion hall was bittersweet as members acknowledged that Memorial Day 2023 would likely be the last celebration in the current building. The Noblesville American Legion will move this summer to its new location the historic R.L. Wilson property at 273 S. Eighth St., Noblesville, with an ice cream social for the community tentatively set for July 15.

-Betsy Reason writes about people places and things in Hamilton County. Contact The Times Editor Betsy Reason at [email protected].