Veterans Mark Memorial Day As An ‘Emotional’ Time To Remember

The chairs lining the grounds were filled with veterans and their families gathered at the WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City for a special ceremony honoring loved ones who had given their lives in service to America.

Choice Watson reached out to a WWII veteran sitting in front of him and helped the older man steady his chair and the breathing equipment he wore.

“It’s been an emotional day,” Watson said. The Vietnam veteran motioned toward the southeast lawn of the museum where the traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall stood. The names of several of his classmates were etched in the memorial.

Watson spoke slowly and said, “Jerome Sims went into the Marine Corps, and we lost him about a month later.”

A strong wind whipped the many flags surrounding the museum into a holiday salute, making it difficult to hear some of the speakers.

The keynote address came from an Australian professor.

“When that tower was raised in the 1920s, it was meant to be noticed,” Bruce Scates stated. “When they built this memorial they meant, ‘Lest we forget.’”

He added, “It invites us to imagine a better world.”

The National World War I Museum and Memorial opened in 1926 as the Liberty Memorial. But in 2004, Congress designated it as the country’s official war memorial and museum dedicated to the first World War.

When Lieutenant General Larry Jordan addressed the crowd, the Kansas City native who graduated from West Point and served in Vietnam, turned his attention to the Wall.

“For me, it is a very personal reminder of service, dedication and devotion to duty,” explained Jordan. “They who came back can never forget those who fell beside us.”

Choice Watson and three of his brothers went to Vietnam. His brother James did more than seven tours. Brothers William and Jesse were on the USS Hornet while Choice was on the USS Muliphen.

With four of her six sons in the military during the Vietnam War, Watson recalled what a stressful time their mother endured.

“I know my mom went through a lot,” he shared. “When I reflect back on that, I can understand how she felt.”

Watson retired from the Navy in 1990. He has taken his children to Washington to see the Vietnam War Memorial to pay tribute to his fellow soldiers and the friends from Kansas City who gave their lives on the battlefield. The memories and the mission are the reasons he attends the reunions, ceremonies like today’s and he hopes those in the years to come.