 Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the 55th Wing Chapel, I would like to welcome you to the Offit Air Force Base Memorial Day Ceremony. I am Chaplain Jacques Conroyen and I will be your narrator. Throughout today's ceremony you will be asked to stand and be seated at the appropriate times. As a reminder, military members in uniform should render the proper honors during the national anthem and taps. Military members not in uniform and veterans are invited to render a hands salute and our civilian guests should place their right hand over their heart. Please stand for the singing of our national anthem by Massa Sergeant Rebecca Wishman of the United States Air Force Heartland of America Band, followed by the invocation given by Chaplain Major Peter Guida. Please join me in prayer, viewers. Eternal God, the creator of all people, we gather on this memorial day to pay the tribute to those men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice of life itself, for the preservation of the freedom of our beloved nation, for their devotion to duty, for their willingness to accept the responsibility of our solemn sacred mission we give you thanks. And also in this day we remember another day lives, they decent they dead. Maybe again resolved that they dead should not have been vain. But may as we citizens of our nation founded upon faith in Hermitica, stand firm to keep the peace that others have given their lives to eat. Bless the loved ones of those who we honor today. Fill them with a pride that is truly justified and a comfort that came only from you. The Lord is for all and in him we believe and to him we pray remember all who died in the service of the encounter, whether in the air, on land or on the sea. Our Lord be gracious and merciful and to them as let your life shine upon them. For you are our God and to you we ascribe Lord in our and forever. You make this petition the name of him who has given us life is in freedom. In your holy name we pray Amen. Please be seated. Thank you Master Sergeant Rebecca Wishman and Chaplain Guido. Today we gather to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. We honor the sacrifice they have made in service of our country, which has contributed to many freedoms we have United States of America. We remember today so they will never be forgotten. We'll now hear poetic reading by Airman First Class John Tompkins and a scripture reading from Psalm 23 by Airman First Class Audrey Miranda. The following selection is entitled Decoration Day and was written by Henry Wadsworth Lonefellow in 1882. Sleep comrades sleep and rest on the field of the grounded arms, where no foes molest nor sentry shot alarms. You have slept on the ground before and started to your feet at the cannon's sudden roar or the drums redoubling beat. But in this camp of death, no sound your slumber breaks. Here is no fevered breath, no wound that bleeds in aches. All is repose and peace. Untrampled lies the sod. The shouts of battle cease. It is the truce of God. Rest comrades, rest and sleep. The thoughts of men shall be as sentinels to keep your rest from danger free. Your silent tense of green, we deck with fragrant flowers. Yours has the suffering that the memory shall be ours. In from Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides the seawaters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me. You're right in your staff. They comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Thank you, A1C Tom, John Tom Pines, and I see Audrey Miranda. As we continue to this special time of remembrance, it is my honor to introduce our speaker for today. Please welcome Colonel Mark Howard, Vice Commander of 55 Weeks. Thank you, Japan Guida. Thank you to the Airmen for the Proletic Reading, the Scripture Reading. That's un-given for the narration. Thank you for your incredible rendition of our national anthem. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished visitors, Mr. Spivey and the Wing Association members, veterans, fellow Warhawks, OAC members, teammates. Thank you so much for joining us here today. It is an incredible honor to be with you here at the base cemetery on this glorious Memorial Day. As we gather together today, we come together as a nation, divided on several issues. We see it on TV. We hear about it on the radio, read it about it on the web, social media. Thankfully, we believe it is days like today that give us all a reason to pause. Take a step back from all the divisiveness and really reflect on how fortunate we have it, to be Americans. And just like us here, many of our fellow citizens are also gathering together today to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Much like our nation has done this day now for more than 150 years. Yes, we believe it is days like this that we have the opportunity to show our true colors as a country, one whose belief is deeply rooted in democracy, one who will fight for not only our freedom, but also the freedom of our allies. And in some cases, die for that cause. As some of you may already know, the origin of Memorial Day dates as far back as 1865. In the closing days of the Civil War, after that incredibly bloody battle and sole crushing conflict, Americans sought a way to honor their beloved dead. Many communities honored those lost by closing businesses, flying flags at half staff, some draped headstones with flowers and decorations, which in turn made this day known as Decoration Day. However, it wasn't till 1868 that this day became known as Memorial Day. When Army General John A. Logan, the commander in chief of the Veterans Organization, Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed May 30th by General Order 11. In his proclamation, he stated, let us then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains and garland, the passionless mounds above them. With choices, flowers, a springtime, let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor. Let us, in this solemn presence, renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the nation's gratitude, the soldiers and sailors, widow and orphan. After World War One, Memorial Day was expanded to further honor all of those who died in all American wars. And then in 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday, which we continue to honor today. Without a doubt, Memorial Day is incredibly important to us as a nation. I think President Franklin Roosevelt's words just 10 days prior to our country entering World War Two really encapsulate the importance. He said, those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy, forget in time that men have died to win them. They come in time to take these rights for granted. And to assume their protection is assured, we, however, who have seen these privileges lost in other continents and in other countries can now appreciate their meaning. To those people who enjoyed them once and now no longer can. We understand in some measure what their loss can mean. And by that realization, we have come to a clearer conception of their worth to us and to a stronger and more unalterable determination. That here in our land, they shall not be lost or weakened or curtailed. They shall not be lost or weakened. They shall not be lost or weakened. Yes, indeed, it is our duty as Americans to honor those brave men and women. Memorial Day serves as an opportunity for us to set aside our differences and acknowledge the immense debt we owe our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians, and the families and loved ones they left behind. You now remember them not only today, but everything. For those of you who have spent time in Europe, you may already notice, but it is interesting to note that America's war dead will not only be remembered today in the United States, but also at gatherings around the globe. In fact, one long running ceremony takes place in Cambridge, England. Hundreds of English citizens who without a doubt are greatest allies and who we share an incredibly special relationship with will attend an American Memorial Day service today at Cambridge American Military University Cemetery. They come to honor more than 3,800 Americans who were buried there on land donated by Cambridge University in 1944. The site is one of 14 permanent American World War II cemeteries on foreign soil. The cemetery is mostly filled with the remains of those Army Air Forces men who flew bombers from the English countryside to the European mainland, including some of the very same 55th pursuit group that we claim as our lineage. At this time, I would also like to point out that if you look up at old glory flying over our parade field, you'll see the POW MIA flag just below her. As we all know that flag says, you are not forgotten. Yes, as we stand here today, we still have Americans missing from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War. While it's true, the Memorial Day takes place just once a year. We are incredibly fortunate here and off it to see firsthand that these Americans missing on foreign battlefields are actively being searched for and identified by the Department of Defense POW MIA accounting agency, which has a laboratory right down the street here. This should also serve as a constant reminder to us all about the sacrifices that have been made so that we can enjoy our freedom. And it is incredibly reassuring to know we will not stop until all have been brought home. And their families are able to finally have closure. In closing, I would like to encourage all of us to take the lessons of Memorial Day into our daily lives. We can pull back on the rhetoric, get drawn into one of those hot book topics to see, tearing our country apart at the seams, but instead, let's remember those proud patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of Liberty's blessings. We're all Americans and in their memory, we are obligated to exercise our rights as citizens of a free society democracy that had been so hardly won. May we never ignore the plea of President Roosevelt by taking these rights for granted. And to assume their protection is assured. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, Master Sergeant Rebecca Wishman will now sing God Bless America, followed by the laying of wreaths by the office chiefs group and the office first sergeant's counsel. Immediately following the laying of the wreaths, please stand and render the appropriate honors for the playing of taps by Staff Sergeant Daniel Thrower from the United States Air Force, Heartland of America. On the legacy of those who've gone before us. And God bless us.