Sailor Tribute
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Muskingum County has a strong reputation of honoring military veterans.
Each Memorial Day witnesses four distinct events that pay homage to the service members who have sacrificed on our behalf. The final event of the four, recognizes the sailors who never returned home by tossing wreaths into the Muskingum River.
“We think it’s important to honor those who’ve perished at sea, defending our nation,” Zanesville Disabled American Veterans Commander Dr. David Schroder said. “And they sailed away and their families never saw them again. Some communities have a Memorial Day parades but Zanesville celebrates Memorial Day by having services at the different cemeteries and this ceremony by the river.”
When world events transpire against America’s best interests, sometimes the United States has to take military action that jeopardizes the lives of the soldiers and sailors who have enlisted.
“Every Memorial Day I’m reminded of a buddy of mine that I served with in Vietnam,” Schroder said. “And he got R and R to go and spend a week with his wife in Hawaii. And three months later he was killed and she was three months pregnant. So I tell that story to emphasize that it’s not just the ones who died that suffered, it was their families also.”
Observing Memorial Day is not a requirement and there’s no set way to celebrate. The freedom to recognize it as we see fit is the legacy that the soldiers and sailors lost their lives defending.
