MEMORIAL DAY 2021 REFLECTIONS: In Remembrance

Georgia State Defense Force photo by Maj. James LeMay

In Remembrance
By Staff Sgt. Jon Hagler

The Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF) 1st Brigade, 2nd Battalion conducted a memorial ceremony—one steeped in battalion tradition—at the Marietta National Cemetery, Marietta, Ga., May 31.

A former 2nd Battalion commander started the ceremony many years ago on Memorial Day. During a GSDF mission, the commander noticed a visibly upset veteran visiting the Pearl Harbor monument at the Marietta National Cemetery. The commander spent some time speaking with him. The elderly veteran was upset that so many of his generation were dying, and that there might be no one left to remember those who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The commander promised him that from that day forward, as long as there was a 2nd Battalion in the GSDF, the battalion would be there to honor—on every Memorial Day—those who died during the attack.

The 2nd Battalion tradition also honors GSDF Soldiers who have passed away. A part of the ceremony honors our own Sgt. Mark Strow, who was killed while assisting a family experiencing vehicle trouble on
I-75 on the morning of Memorial Day 2017.

The Georgia State Defense Force 1st Brigade, 2nd Battalion conduct a memorial ceremony—one steeped in battalion tradition—at the Marietta National Cemetery, Marietta, Ga., May 31.

Georgia State Defense Force photo by Maj. James LeMay