As 99th Infantry Division Association Chaplain Arnold Taylor wrote his remarks for the annual Memorial Service at Louisville, he planned to be on hand to deliver them. But, while he and his wife Lilian were in line at the hotel to check in, they received word that Lilian’s brother in South Carolina had died.
Taylor, never one to shirk his duty, turned over his notes to B.O. Wilkins and headed back to South Carolina.
Wilkins stepped up and filled the void, taking on the task of delivering Taylor’s words and above all, remembering those members who had died in the past year.
The colors were advanced by Sergeants-at-Arms Jesse Coulter and Mark Mueller and the past presidents.
Wilkins shared a modified version of Taylor’s remarks, which are printed here:
“Regardless of anyone’s personal religious persuasion, the words of St. Paul before his demise serve well for veterans of any of our nation’s wars. They are quite dear to our hearts as we think of our 99’ers who, after service during World War II became known as ‘The Greatest Generation.’
“Quote: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race (the race of life, I must add), and I have kept the faith (faith in God for some, but for all faith in the American way of life).’
“Before long, we’ll be reading the names of those of our number known to have died in the year since our 2009 reunion in St. Louis. And then Taps will be sounded, a practice that has become traditional for any military funeral or memorial service in our nation.
“There are 24 notes in the bugle call known to all of us as Taps.
“It was adapted during the Civil War from a tune that was called ‘Extinguish Lights,’ which meant in the army camps that it was time to put out the lights and go to sleep. The British had a similar ‘Lights Out’ bugle call.
“A General Butterfield and a bugler, Oliver Norton, created this adaptation to the tune we find so familiar. It was first used at a military funeral during the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia in 1862, instead of the firing of volleys because the enemy was too close and the sound of the rifles would renew the fighting. Good move.
“Other buglers heard it and soon it became the standard.
“There have been about six different verses written for that tune. The most popular one is the one we used to sing in Boy Scout camp at the end of the day when we were all supposed to shut up and go to sleep.
“You know the words:
“Day is done. Gone the sun from the hills, from the lake, from the sky. All is well. Safely rest. God is nigh.
“May these words run through our hearts and minds when Taps are sounded at the conclusion of the reading of the memorial names. All is well. Safely rest. God is nigh.”
Wilkins and Joe Kagan read the names of those remembered:
Willard Adcox M/393
Albert Adler M/395
Eugene Averitte M/395
W.S. “Bill” Barron Jr. unit unknown
Charles Cicero H/394
James Collins unit unknown
Theodore Cox D/393
Clyde Davis K/393
Lafe Reese Edmunds 393
Albert Elby K/393
Wilbur Fogle B/371
Marion Harker Q/393
Eli “Lefty” Heitic F/393
Milton Hild A/394
William Hughes 3/393
Charles Jacobs C/370
Cleon Janos C/371
Carl Johnson K/393
Robert Justice E/395
Marshall Lee M/395
Michael Geary Lloyd M/324
Peter Lombardo D/395
James Lutz M/394
Eugene Manfield Can/394
Louis Manus Q/394
Ernest McDaniel F/393
John McGuire D/393
Nevelle McKinney Q/099
Ernest Mettenet D/394
Frank Meyer 5/Med
Gerald Byrem B/393
John Heisler 394
Arthur Mikles A/370
Frank Miller S/099
Lewis Miller B/393
Elmer Mohrmann C/370
George Nothwang I/395
Irvin “Bud” Olt G/394
Raymond Parks D/394
Robert Parks K/395
Louis Pedrotti L/395
Earl peters S/924
Russell Porter 1/394
Henry Puchalsky A/395
Henry Raczkowski C/395
John Rarick C/393
Rev. Lindell “Lindy” Sawyers C/395
Delbert Sayer G/394
Warren Schilling C/393
Willis Sellhorn K/393
Carter Smith Q/395
Kenneth Smith I/395
Newman Smith C/395
Warren Springer C/371
Leo Spyra A/393
Leon St. Pierre H/395
Henry Thomas M/395
Cornie Van Gorp I/393
Fred Verdicchio A/371
Karl Wagner M/393
Irving Warnasch L/395
Haskell “Hack” Wolff H/394
George Serkedakis unit unknown
Herman Newcomb 394
Bugler Wayne Hall of VFW Post 1170 sounded Taps.
“This is a memorial song for those who have left us and those left behind,” Melanie Wilkins said, as she began a special musical number, “Thank You.”
Taylor’s words, continued:
“Finally, here is a poem offered as a transition to our life beyond our present remembrance; for, we must go on. It is a plug for the recognition of any one of us veterans when our time comes – or that of any veteran of any war since ours, and there are plenty of them in this day. For it is the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have preserved our freedom – including freedom of the press.
A Soldier Died Today
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion hall
Telling stories of his past.
Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.
And though sometimes to his
neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.
He was just a common soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may not see his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the soldier’s part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
While he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage
At the ending of his days.
So that at his parting
The newspaper headline might say
“Our country is in mourning,
A soldier died today.”
“Let us pray: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace this day and forever more. Amen.
“Go in peace and live from day to day to show our fallen heroes that what they fought for is still on its way!”
The colors were retired.