Residents honor the fallen, look toward hopeful future at Memorial Day service in Provo
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- Keynote speaker Marine Gunnery Sgt. Alex Mitchell speaks about remembering those who sacrifice their lives to give freedom to others, during a Memorial Day ceremony at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023.
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- Almost every headstone in the Provo City Cemetery was decorated with flowers, flags, pinwheels or balloons for Memorial Day on Monday, May 29, 2023, to honor and remember lost loved ones.
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- A 21-gun salute is performed by the Provo/Orem Metro SWAT Team in honor of all deceased veterans during a Memorial Day service at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023.
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- National Guard veteran Neil Hargrave poses next to flags for the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, American flag, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and National League of Families POW/MIA during a Memorial Day ceremony at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023. Also pictured are various military rifles and combat gear from the Civil War to modern day.
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- American flags are strapped to crosses in honor of deceased veterans for the Memorial Day service at the Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023.
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- The Timpview High School band plays “God Bless the U.S.A.” at the Provo City Cemetery as children wave mini American flags during a Memorial Day service Monday, May 29, 2023.
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- Youth speaker Jocelyn Osmond, winner of the Freedom Festival speech contest, speaks about a hopeful future for America during a Memorial Day service at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023.
“We would’ve been lifelong friends,” said David Gunn, a retired colonel and military service missionary at Camp Williams. His eyes filled with tears as he remembered his best friend, Douglas Savage, who died serving in the Vietnam War.
Memorial Day, for Gunn, is a day to “think about the guys who didn’t come back,” he said. “I lost 11 buddies in Vietnam. I think about them. My best friend got killed in Vietnam; you never get over it.”
On Monday morning, Gunn, chair of the Provo City Veterans Council, joined children, parents, grandparents and veterans as they gathered at the Provo City Cemetery to remember lost loved ones, listen to speeches of hope, participate in patriotic music and witness a 21-gun salute for the fallen men and women in the armed forces.
The Provo City Veterans Council and the Freedom Festival work together each year to hold a Memorial Day service in Provo to give others the opportunity to honor active duty military, veterans and those lost while serving.
Before the ceremony began, families placed flowers, flags and pinwheels on the graves of loved ones while children waved small American flags to music played by the Timpview High School band.
Tears filled the crowd as the band played a military medley to represent each branch of the armed forces. Veterans, active duty military and family members of those in service were invited to stand when the music for their branch was played. Almost the entire crowd stood at one point and tears turned to smiles as attendees remembered and honored their loved ones.
Jim Evans, executive director of Freedom Festival, said this Memorial Day service is held each year because it supports the festival’s mission of God, family, freedom and country. “As a Freedom Festival, we’re so thrilled that the community comes out to honor our veterans and the families of veterans,” he said.
Every Memorial Day, Evans specifically remembers his mother, who passed away from cancer 29 years ago. But he said he is also grateful for the holiday because it honors “the freedoms we enjoy and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Said Gunn, “One thing people don’t understand is when you get sworn into the military, you say two things: You say that you will defend the country against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and you say you will never surrender while you have the means to resist.” He explained that it means those in the military fight until they die.
While Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have passed, the speakers — Jocelyn Osmond, winner of the Freedom Festival speech contest, and Gunnery Sgt. Alex Mitchell, U.S. Marines — reminded those attending that it is also a day to look forward, toward a hopeful future for America.
Mitchell told the audience one similarity each person has in the armed forces is that they are willing to risk their lives. He said, “There have been many members of the military that have sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of helping someone else. So one thing that we can learn from these men and women is how to dedicate ourselves for the cause of our country. Yes, we have flaws and disagreements, but our country still has so much good.”
He said the good shown by individuals every day in our country is what makes these men’s and women’s sacrifices worth it. So, he encouraged everyone to be someone who strengthens their community and country rather than despises their neighbor. He said if everyone does this, the blood shed for this country was not in vain.
Osmond said she does not take her rights for granted because they are defended by those who have served and currently serve in the armed forces. Representing teenagers from across Utah, Osmond said, “I’ve never felt more strongly that America’s best days lie ahead. We are a powerful force for good.” She encouraged the audience to honor those who have passed by continuing to bring light and freedom to America by joining her in “promising to live for tomorrow; to live for America.”
The crowd was silent as Mitchell asked each person to picture someone they love dearly joining the military. Then, he asked, imagine two people in uniform knocking on their door to inform them that their loved one was killed in action. He said, “Your worst fears are realized. That someone that you love so much is no longer with you.” Many families have experienced this, Mitchell said. He encouraged the audience to “remember the special sacrifices that have been given by over 1 million members of our armed forces in the protection of our great country.”
He continued by speaking of what to do next after remembering those in the past. “In order for their sacrifices to be lasting, we must do more than just remember them once a year,” he said.
Gunn shared that he remembers his lost friends by thinking of them every day, not just on Memorial Day. Last fall, he visited Savage’s grave to find it was covered with mud and grass, so he and a friend cleaned the headstone.
Mitchell said a way to remember those who sacrifice their lives for the freedom of this country is to look up the life of someone who served in the armed forces. He suggested learning about what they did before their service, reading about the awards they earned or reading their obituary.
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