Post Commander urges community to honor the dead by serving the living
The somber clanging of the bell as the numbers of war dead are read. The laying of the wreath in their honor. The 21-gun salute, Taps and dove release. Such are the images of Memorial Day.
Today those images played out with reverence under blue skies at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Park in Demorest. Several dozen people, from elderly veterans to families with young children, turned out to honor our nation’s war dead.
The ceremony was hosted by Habersham’s Grant-Reeves VFW Post 7720. Post Commander Bill Miles served as Master of Ceremonies and guest speaker. He read the roster of war dead dating back to the American Revolution and shared personal stories of friends lost in service.
“For us that have served and have been where the wheel meets the road we know it’s more than just sales and barbecues,” Miles said about Memorial Day. “For many of us it’s a gut check, as we have lost comrades we have trained with and served with.”
Miles retired as a First Sergeant after 28 years in the U.S. Army. While in the military, he served 55 months in combat in the Gulf War, Afghanistan and four tours in Iraq. He also was deployed on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.
Bill Miles is a a man who knows a lot about service…and sacrifice.
“We honor the dead by serving the living.”
“I’ve lost 23 friends who’ve died while in uniform,” he told those gathered. Miles choked up while recounting the death of a young paratrooper he supervised who was killed by a train while serving in Germany. “The best paratrooper I ever had the pleasure to serve with,” he said, holding back tears.
Miles also shared the story of the battalion commander who was killed by an IED in Iraq while on his way back to camp shortly after watching a live Internet feed of his wife graduating from college. And he spoke of losing 15 of his airborne buddies when the plane they were in was shot down in Fallujah. Miles was pulled from that flight at the last minute.
“It still weighs heavy on me,” he said.
“Can any of us who are living say that we’ve accomplished more in our fuller lifespan than those we honor today? For what they lack in time they made up for in valor.” ~ Bill Miles, VFW Post 7720 Commander
After being wounded in a rocket attack in Iraq, Miles spent two-and-a-half years in the Wounded Warrior program and retired to Clarkesville.
READ: Memorial Day by the numbers
This husband and father of eight may no longer wear the uniform on a daily basis, but he continues to serve. In addition to his duties as VFW Post 7720 Commander, Miles is the Georgia VFW District 2 Vice-Commander, is active in the American Legion and a host of other veterans organizations and charities.
He’s working hard to raise the profile of veterans and the organizations that serve them in Northeast Georgia – and he’s been highly commended for it.
Still…
“Can any of us who are living say that we’ve accomplished more in our fuller lifespan than those we honor today?” he asked. “For what they lack in time they made up for in valor.”
Reflecting on the dead, Miles issued a call to action for the living.
“Long after the battlefield guns have been silenced and the bombs stop exploding,” he said, “the children of our fallen warriors will still be missing a parent, spouses will be without their life partners, parents will continue to grieve for their heroic sons and daughters that died way too early. We need to be there for them,” he urged.
“Nobody can replace these fallen heroes, especially in the eyes of their families, but we can offer shoulders to cry on, assistance with educational expenses and insurance that their loved ones’ sacrifices will not be forgotten.”
In closing, Miles echoed the sentiment etched in marble on the base of the monument that sits among the headstones in the VFW Memorial Park: “We honor the dead by serving the living.”
A fitting tribute to the lasting legacy of all who paid the ultimate price.
For more information on how you can get involved with and support your local VFW and other veterans groups, visit https://www.facebook.com/VFWPost7720/.
