WEST BETHESDA, Md. –
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division held a Memorial Day ceremony in the rotunda of Building 2 in West Bethesda, Maryland, May 30.
Carderock's Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) Acting Chair Laurel Martin commenced the ceremony with a message of appreciation to the men and women who serve or have served in uniform, and acknowledged those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the nation.
Carderock Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Vandroff led the opening remarks with a story that touched him while at a Memorial Day observance at the Naval Academy where it was announced that Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John Kelly (later a four-star general and now secretary of Homeland Security) had lost his son in Afghanistan.
Similarly, William Donnelly III, a friend of Vandroff and an employee of Naval Sea Systems Command, lost his son Marine Corps 1st Lt. William Donnelly IV in combat, also in Afghanistan.
Capt. Vandroff praised the courageous men and women who have sacrificed their lives to protect the nation's freedom, while highlighting the influential work Carderock accomplishes in aiding the Navy.
Keynote speaker Lt. Cmdr. Jon Burrow was invited by Vandroff to speak on the meaning of Memorial Day.
"As we all know here at Carderock, the remembrance and meaning of this day is much more significant than just an extra day off," Burrow said. "We celebrate the lives of those that we have lost, celebrate and cherish the short but valuable time we were able to spend with them and keep them alive in our stories and memories."
"All of us here in this room right now at Carderock have some connection to military service -- either as a service member, veteran, co-worker or family member," Burrow said. "Memorial Day marks a time to reflect and thank those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our safety and freedom both in wartime and in peacetime."
Burrow also spoke on the meaning behind the hero bracelet he wears on his wrist. "A black-colored hero bracelet is worn for the remembrance of a friend, loved one or teammate lost in combat," he said.
Commissioned as part of a team of advisors tasked to rebuild and train new Iraqi police force members, Burrow endured a misfortune of his own in Baghdad. His friend and battle brother Army Maj. Stuart Adam Wolfer was killed in action along with the team's commanding officer, Army Col. Steven K. Scott. Wolfer was taken away from his spouse and three young children who were "too young to remember the man their father was," Burrow said. "I feel it is my responsibility to contact his children in the near future and explain to them who their father was and how he affected my life."
Burrow concluded, "As we conduct our ceremony today, remember this wreath represents a small symbol of our respect, honor and gratitude to those who gave up everything in the service of this great country."
Technical Director Dr. Tim Arcano delivered the ceremony's closing remarks with a quotation from President Abraham Lincoln. "It is rather for us here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last whole measure of devotion."
All in attendance joined Arcano, Vandroff and Burrow on a walk outside to the flagpole where the memorial wreath was laid. A brief moment of silence and salutation occurred for the remembrance of friends and loved ones who have prematurely fallen.