STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

There was no flyover—not with Mountain Home Air Force Base troops sent to the Middle East.

But Joan Davies was quick to point out a redtail hawk that made several flyovers above the Hailey Cemetery as a few hundred people gathered to honor those who had sacrificed their lives for their country.

The tradition of Memorial Day started at the end of the Civil War.

Air Force members place the wreath ahead of the flag being drawn up from half-mast to full mast.

“Memorial Day is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we might live in freedom,” organizer Geegee Lowe told the crowd. “We also acknowledge the families … who carry their legacy forward.”

Members of Hailey Fire and Wood River Fire and Rescue placed the Battlefield Cross, which features an inverted rifle, bayonet thrust into the ground, and weathered combat roots representing a soldier’s final march. It was inspired by the bayonets used to mark where soldiers fell during Civil War

The cross’s dog tags are inscribed with the words “American Soldier Blaine County Idaho” to acknowledge 464 men and women from Blaine County who are laid to rest in the cemetery said Davies.

“It tells a story of sacrifice,” said Davies.

The Battlefield Cross features an inverted rifle, bayonet thrust into the ground, and weathered combat boots representing the soldier’s final march.

Another tradition, Davies pointed out, is that of coins laid on grave sites. Their monetary value is just 41 cents, but their symbolism is invaluable, she added.

A penny means you’ve visited the site. A nickel means you trained with the service member at boot camp. A dime signifies you served together.

“And a quarter is very significant because it means you were there when the fallen died,” she said.

The use of coins dates back to the Roman Empire when coins were placed in the mouths of soldiers to pay for passage across the River Styx into the afterlife. It gained popularity in this country during a time of political division over the Vietnam War, as it was a quiet way to honor a service member and communicate respect to their family.

Members of the Caritas Chorale stand at attention during the presentation of the flag.

“It’s amazing how simple change in your pocket can translate into a tribute of respect and honor to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” she added.

After the Caritas Chorale sang Maya's Poem for Peace and Homeward Bound, the Rev. Kathleen Bean of St. Thomas Episcopal Church read a poem by Archibald MacLeish that she saw embedded in a wall overlooking 30,000 military graves at The Presidio in San Francisco:

“…They say: We were young. We have died. Remember us.

They say: We have done what we could, but until it is finished it is not done.

Connor McGowan, Higher Ground’s new COO, lives in Fairfield with his wife and young sons.

They say: We have given our lives but until it is finished no one can know what our lives gave.

They say: Our deaths are not ours: they are yours, they will mean what you make them

They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say, it is you who must say this….”

Bean’s husband Brian Bean, who owns Lava Lake Ranch, told of the Lava Lake Injured Veterans Equine Program, with has served veterans referred by Veterans Administrations in Boise and Palo Alto, Calif., for 14 years.

The vets spend a couple months preparing for the two-week camp, learning to ride and feed and care for horses. Then they spend two weeks on steeds provided by Mystic Saddle Ranch of Stanley, journeying into the Pioneer Mountains, the White Clouds Mountains and the Salmon River Mountains, traveling 200 miles and 35,000 vertical feet without crossing a paved road.

Most have PTSD, many struggle with traumatic brain injury and some are amputees or have experienced sexual trauma.

“We serve men and women from any military branch and any conflict, and no vet has ever spent a dime to be involved.” Bean said.

Connor McGowan, Higher Ground’s new Chief Operating Officer, told how his organization also works with veterans to reassure vets that they are still needed and still deeply valued.

“While we can never repay our debts to them, we can stand beside and support them,” he said.