So many fallen, but not forgotten
Remembrances honor Arizonans who sacrificed
“It finally hit me what Memorial Day really was about. At that moment, I realized how proud I was to be an American and to know my son’s sacrifice will never be forgotten.” Tina Lapka Gold Star mother
Christopher Lapka was 22 years old when he was killed in Iraq.
His parents were shocked when their son announced he had dropped out of Arizona State University to enlist in the Marine Corps months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He had never shown any interest in joining the Armed Forces, but Christopher told them he felt like it was his duty to join after the attack.
His second deployment sent him to Iraq during the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.
“He told me he loved me and made a joke about how he knew my eyes were leaking,” Chris’ mother, Tina Lapka, recounted through tears Monday during a Memorial Day ceremony at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in north Phoenix. It was one of several Memorial Day remembrances held in the Valley.
Two weeks after arriving in Iraq, an explosive-laden truck drove into their vehicle, killing Christopher and seven other Ma-
rines.
Ken and Tina Lapka didn’t know what to expect when they pulled into the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona for the annual ceremony that Memorial Day 2005, barely six months after their son’s death. The Gold Star family was shocked by the thousands of people that had gathered in the cemetery that morning to remember not only her son, but also their own lost loved ones.
“It finally hit me what Memorial Day really was about,” she said. “At that moment, I realized how proud I was to be an American and to know my son’s sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Despite the warm temperatures Monday morning, thousands of veterans and families gathered to remember those servicemen and women who never returned home. Many waved American flags and roses, while other clutched framed photos of lost loved ones.
An empty table set with five empty seats served as a constant reminders of the POWs and MIAs that never made it home. A lemon and salt on the plate represented the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land. A pinch of salt symbolized the tears endured by the missing and their families who have longed for answers.
The value of their sacrifice doesn’t change over time, Gov. Doug Ducey said, addressing the crowd. America is forever indebted to those who have committed their entire lives to serving their country.
“There’s no foxhole too hidden, no jungle too deep, no sky too great, no ocean too vast and no passage of time too long that will ever diminish our appreciation for the gift you’ve given us,” he said.
Monday marked the holiday’s 150th anniversary since its establishment as a national day of remembrance in 1868.
Martha Kuhns, who served as a nurse during the Vietnam War, said Memorial Day is about this sacrifice and the absence, not a three-day weekend or the official start of summer. It’s this that drives thousands of people to the ceremony each year despite the heat and the crowds.
She urged parents and grandparents to remind younger generations that the freedoms frequently taken for granted have been paid for by others.
“All the picnics, parades, camping and swimming we do this weekend is earned by the service of our military — both men and women,” she said. “Dead and alive.”