U.S. Army Reserve Major General William Dyer on Monday urged those at Milton’s Memorial Day Ceremony to listen and look for compromise to help unify our nation and make the sacrifices of those military members who died while serving it more worthwhile.

Dyer spoke inside City Hall’s Council Chambers, where the annual event had been moved as strong thunderstorms rolled through the area. The festivities began with dark, gloomy skies outside only to become bright with sunshine by its end about 1½ hours later.

Mayor Peyton Jamison playfully acknowledged the then-soaked conditions outside in welcoming the attendees before calling it an honor to pay homage to the brave men and women who died –about 1.5 million over the course of American history – while serving in the military. 

“I am particularly moved to see people of all generations,” said Jamison, whose own three children were among the scores of attendees, which ranged from toddlers to 80-something-year-olds.

After an invocation by Rev. Bob Grimaldi (a Navy veteran) and the Presentation of Colors by the Milton Public Safety Honor Guard, Cambridge High School graduate and current Belmont University student Solo Lowit performed a stirring rendition of the National Anthem. The Pledge of Allegiance was followed by Mayor Jamison reading the City’s proclamation formally recognizing May 27 as Memorial Day this year.

The ceremony then highlighted two longtime members of and contributors to Milton’s veterans community who passed away last January. Bill Lusk, a Navy veteran and the founder of the Milton Veterans Memorial Markers, described them both as “great friends.”

• Colonel Ronnie Rondem, “a true citizen soldier” born in Norway who moved to America and spent much of his life in the Army, first as a medic then the infantry, including as a Company Commander in Vietnam
• Captain Robert “Bud” Alexander, a trained engineer who joined the Navy in 1958 and put his expertise to use including by managing construction battalions in Vietnam (then, after his military retirement, working on highway construction projects around Georgia)

Both patriots were singled out individually – Rondem by Rev. Paul Doppel and Alexander by Grimaldi – after which their widows received floral bouquets.  

Dyer then stepped up to the lectern as the featured speaker.  Aside from being a proud husband, father of two, and attorney with Lee & Hayes (an IP law firm), Dyer now serves as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 108^th Training Command – overseeing more than 8,000 soldiers who perform Basic Combat and Leader Training for soldiers and junior officers. He had previously been a judge advocate and military lawyer, including deployments to Afghanistan.

The two-star general reflected on Memorial Day’s meaning and whether the sacrifices of the fallen troops were worth it for the good of their country and countrymen. He told the stories of these three brave individuals:

• Sgt. Henry Johnson, an African American who fought in a segregated Army unit during World War I and died after saving colleagues and neutralizing numerous German troops during a battle in Europe
• Private First Class Charles Havlat, a day laborer from Nebraska with big dreams who was killed in what was then Czechoslovakia nine minutes after the signing of Nazi Germany’s surrender to end World War II
• First Lieutenant Sharon Lane, an Ohio native who enlisted in 1968 in the U.S. Army who became one of eight U.S. nurses killed in Vietnam after rockets struck the ward where she was treating patients

Dyer said these and many others fought for a great, innovative nation whose strength and stability has preserved precious freedoms and deterred other conflicts. But he also said the United States isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to growing partisanship, lack of compromise, and animosity among neighbors.

“So what do we about it?” the Major General asked. He challenged citizens to find common ground and acceptable solutions that help the country “come together” and “that truly honors” the troops remembered on Memorial Day.

His remarks were followed by a bagpipe performance of “God Bless America” by Tom Crawford and closing remarks from Colonel (Ret.) Nick Satriano of the U.S. Army. Working with City staff, Satriano was instrumental in organizing Monday’s event just as he’s a leader in the Milton Veterans Memorial Markers non-profit organization. 

Satriano called it “a blessing … to live in freedom,” crediting those who served who have made this possible. He quoted late singer Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” even playing a recent clip of the Navy women’s lacrosse team singing and dancing to it. Satriano also gave special thanks to Dyer and others involved in the ceremony.

The event culminated with two Milton High trumpet players performing taps, a benediction by Rev. Doppel, and a bagpipe performance of “Amazing Grace.”

Thank you to all who attended Milton’s Memorial Day Ceremony. We hope to see you and others next May – hopefully outside with better weather – once again to show appreciation to fallen troops.