An Island Gives Thanks
Memorial Day Events 2024
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—“Thank you for your service” hasn’t always been something Kery Strickland was comfortable hearing.
“I’ve spoken with many other veterans throughout the years about this phrase and, for the most part, the vets I’ve spoken with typically feel uncomfortable with being told this phrase. For many years it was even awkward for me to hear as well,” Strickland told the group gathered on the Bar Harbor Village Green for the Memorial Day observance on May 27.
“At first, it was awkward for me because I didn’t know how to respond. Someone would say, ‘thank you for your service,’ and I would have a response similar to when your server drops off your food and says ‘enjoy your meal,’ and you say, ‘thanks, you too,’” he said.
It’s been more than twenty years since Strickland was deployed in Iraq as a medic in a trauma team at the only hospital in the country.
The ‘hospital’ was just a big tent, thirty miles north of Baghdad, on a military base.
“Every service member that was injured during this time came through us. If you came through us, it meant you were injured badly enough to be sent home,” Strickland said. “If you came through us, it meant the battle was over, at least in the literal sense. So, to us, this hospital was a safe space, or as safe as you could feel in an active war zone.”
But that didn’t mean everyone felt that way.
“I imagine that it was tough mentally to deal with for those injured. Often times they would be doing their job on the battlefield, become gravely injured then wake up in a tent with me looking at them and trying to speak with them,” Strickland said. “I spoke with every person I treated there, if they were conscious enough to have a discussion.”
Every time he’d explain what had happened, that they’d be heading back home. And he expected that they’d be relieved that even though they were injured, they’d be out of the war.
“But it was the opposite reaction every time. 100% of the time. They weren’t relieved or happy to go home. Quite the opposite really. Instead, they were saddened, disappointed, and felt guilty for not being able to be there for their brothers in arms that were still on the battlefield,” Strickland said. “Most I spoke with would beg and plead to be sent back into battle even though they were seriously injured. Talking with them, they were all disappointed and felt that they had let their brothers down, and they were disappointed that they had more to give but were not allowed to. Meaning, ultimately, that any sacrifice less than the Ultimate sacrifice was unacceptable.”
And that’s what made him feel awkward.
“When someone has said ‘thank you for your service’ because, as a warrior, any sacrifice less than the ultimate sacrifice is unacceptable. Since being fortunate enough to return home twenty years ago, I have gained a beautiful wife, and an amazing son. I’ve been able to make it to birthdays, weddings of good friends, and other hallmark occasions. I am fortunate that I did not have to make the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “So how do we say ‘thank you for your service’ or rather ‘thank you for your sacrifice’ for those who weren’t fortunate enough to make it back?”
It's a question that community members and visitors throughout Mount Desert Island had time to ponder during the holiday as wreaths were laid, taps were played, bands marched, songs sung, and decisions were taken: how do you thank people who are no longer here for the sacrifices that they made?
THANKING BY CHOOSING COOPERATION
Town Council Chair Valerie Peacock said, “As we reflect on the meaning of this day, we remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, ‘Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.’ These words remind us that peace is both the journey and the destination. The ultimate goal of those who served was not conflict, but equity, justice, dignity, and peace. Their service was a testament to their hope for a future where all people could live in harmony and prosperity.
“Here in Bar Harbor, we can honor their memory by fostering peace in our own community. This means reaching out to our neighbors, resolving conflicts with empathy, and working together to build a better future. The foundation of a peaceful society is cooperation and mutual respect, and it is something each of us can contribute to.”
Peacock also recognized the families of those who served.
“Their support and love enabled these individuals to perform their duties with courage and resolve. We honor these families by striving to create a world where peace is the norm, not the exception,” she said. “As we stand here, let us take a moment to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can appreciate our community and all that we have to be thankful for. Let us commit ourselves to the ideals of peace and unity. Let us honor the memory of those who served by living lives that reflect our hopes and dreams for a peaceful world.”
THANKING BY SHARING AND PRESERVING STORIES OF LIVES LOST AND WELL LIVED
Bar Harbor Fire Department Captain Jai Higgins shared a poem written by Crystal Dow that he’d found in his mom’s house. His mom had passed away in March and these last few months have been memorial months for him as he cleaned out her house.
While he was cleaning and sorting and organizing, he found a folder. “It was labeled ‘uncles,’ and I was like ‘Oh… What was this?’”
It was a folder about his mom’s uncles: Maurice and Herschel Norwood. They were men that she was terribly proud of. And in that folder was a poem written by Dow, a teacher in Tremont.
“I was like, ‘Wow, if this isn’t a sign, what is?’”
Maurice served in the Pacific Theater in World War II.
A piece of the poem reads:
“He was always there whenever we asked
He quietly helped in shaping our past.
With the help of his friends, a difference was made.
They helped teach our children of the price that was paid.”
Maurice Norwood carried the stories of his lost sailors with him and shared them with the children of Mount Desert Island. He kept the Tremont town square beautiful for decades, mowing the grass and watering the vegetation at the square at the top of Seal Cove Road that was dedicated in his name back in 2008.
Maurice was featured in the August 15, 1945 Ellsworth American column about Hancock County residents serving in World War II. It quickly mentions that he is on a repair vessel that is refitting submarines.
Across the page is another article. This one is about Second Lieutenant Allen Grindle who was just 27 and killed in France. He was a fighter pilot and engaged.
THANKING BY TAKING MOMENTS TO REFLECT AND TO GIVE SUPPORT
In communities throughout Mount Desert Island, Monday, people answered Strickland’s questions by taking moments to remember, to think, and to gather. Some, like Strickland, took the time to remember how fortunate he is and to call for support of military families.
“Those of us who were lucky enough to come back home are able to give thanks to those who didn’t make it back by giving support to the families of our fallen. We do it by coming together as a nation. We do it by loving our neighbors regardless of which side of the political isle they sit on or which God they pray to, regardless of their gender or color of their skin. We do it by helping those in need. We thank them for their service by servicing our community and by having a country that is worth the ultimate sacrifice. With that being said, Thank you all for your service and God bless America,” Strickland said.
BAR HARBOR GARDEN CLUB
The club gathered early in the morning to honor those who had served and to decorate the Blue Star Memorial.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR
Southwest Harbor’s parade and processional drew a large crowd on Monday.
MOUNT DESERT
A large crowd lined Main Street in Northeast Harbor during Mount Desert’s observance activities. There was then an observance by the town marina and a barbecue served by the Neighborhood House.
BAR HARBOR VILLAGE GREEN
The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce combined forces with the George Edwin Kirk American Legion Post 25 Bar Harbor, Maine, to honor departed military personnel. The Legion and Ladies Auxiliary had placed flags on graves earlier this month.
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Simply terrific reporting and photos.