An incredibly powerful addition was made to yesterday’s third annual Ritual of Remembrance – the callout of names of those who had been in the armed services.  Master of Ceremonies at the Oysterville Cemetery, Diane Buttrell, asked that those of us gathered say the names of loved ones who had served or are currently serving, and she suggested that Chuck Messing begin.

Chuck comes from a military family.  His father and his grandfather were in the service and Chuck, himself, is a Viet Nam Veteran.  He has five sons currently on active duty.  His story was a powerful one, followed by applause and a time of silence.

Then, one by one, voices from the crowd called out the names of loved ones from past and present, from World War One to Iraq and Afghanistan, those who were missing in action or who died or who are still involved.  The callouts were loud and clear, with poignant pauses in between – unrehearsed and emotion-filled

Later, after the Bayside Singers’ program at the Oysterville Church, the crowd stopped at our garden on their way to brunch at the schoolhouse.  The Honorary Oysterville Militia (THOM) had announced that they would be firing the cannon in honor of the day.

Again, names were called out – this time by THOM’s chaplain, Pat McKibbin.  The names and ranks of fourteen members were called out – those members who have died since the formation of the Oysterville group in 2004.  Of special mention were George Power, Ed Stonebreaker and Louise Espy, the most recent losses among the group.

Even the big boom of the cannon – a replica 1841 mountain howitzer – was not as impressive or as powerful as the roll call.  The names brought it all home – right into Oysterville and into our hearts.