BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross is composed of a pair of wooden combat shoes carved by Hailey artist Glenn Carter and a helmet sitting atop a gun stock.
And it’s something even Civil War veterans buried in Hailey’s Cemetery would have been familiar with.
During or just following battle survivors would mark the spot where a comrade had fallen by sticking a bayonet in ground, GeeGee Lowe told those attending the 18th annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the Hailey Cemetery.
During World War I survivors began topping a stock with a helmet, giving it the appearance of a cross. The symbol of loss and mourning, its purpose was to pay honor and respect to fallen heroes at the battlefield.
About 200 men, women and children watched Monday morning as a squadron of men carried the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross to its place next to a memorial dedicated to the memory of the men and women of Blaine County who sacrificed their lives for the country.
The sun smiled on the ceremony in advance of approaching showers from the south.
The graves of 427 known veterans were dedicated with small American flags. Five crosses honored those whose graves have disappeared.
Red poppies paid homage to the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.
Lowe told how a mother of an enlisted officer had noted that a parent of a soldier always realizes that some of them are not going to be able to come back.
“This is a reality,” she added. “We must remember that their courage, selflessness and devotion to duty has sustained us.”
Lowe also acknowledged the centennial anniversary of the American Legion. The Legion has two million members and its auxiliary, 1 million members.
The ceremony was followed by a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches for veterans served up by Shaun and Stefany Mahoney of Mahoney’s Bar & Grille.