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Rain dampens Memorial Day services |
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Wednesday, 28 May 2008 |
By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
 DAY TO REMEMBER – Members of the VFW and American Legion put out flags at the veteran grave sites at the cemetery for Memorial Day on Monday. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
The Rev. Kirk Kestler from the Presbyterian Church led a packed VFW Hall with an opening prayer and a closing prayer.
Post Commander William Biggers welcomed those who came out and introduced Lt. Col. Stephen Ziadie, the keynote speaker who is the Director of Staff for the 341st Space Wing and Malmstrom, AFB in Great Falls.
The New Jersey native is an 18-year veteran of the Air Force. He has seen duty with more than one tour in Iraq, served in Kosovo and Afghanistan, his last duty station prior to coming to Malmstrom.
Ziadie has also been stationed in Korea, Iceland, Germany and Italy and Honduras.
Just a few of his major awards include the Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, a Joint Service Commendation Medal and an Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters.
In a short address, Ziadie said he was humbled to be here and that, “Freedom is so important, sometimes you have to give something up to have it.”
He noted that over 1.2 million service men and women had given their lives for freedom in wars fought.
Touching on the war in Iraq, he asked the question, “Is it worth it?” He said that, “Freedom is worth it.” And he believed America is making a difference there.
He praised Vietnam veterans for not only enduring combat, but for what they endured when they came back from an unpopular war on the home front.
Ziadie felt that many of the actions back then gave America a guilty conscience, which turned to support of the service men and women too.
He said, The “cost of liberty is so great…we need to pass that down from generation to generation.”
The VFW, the Auxiliary and American Legion Auxiliary placed symbolic wreathes to commemorate all of the fallen heroes.
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