Memorial Day is now upon us. The Blinded Veterans Association recalls and celebrates the ultimate sacrifice by men and women who have been willing to lay down their lives in the name of freedom and peace. The nature of those sacrifices, and the lifelong impact they have had on families of the fallen, is perhaps incomprehensible to those who have never experienced such a loss.
As leaders, staff, and members of BVA, we express our heartfelt gratitude for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice or who have been willing to do so. We acknowledge the men and women, past and present, who have stepped forward and, at all costs and with every inherent risk, sworn an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution and the nation’s enemies.
Although our current BVA members were able to return home after their military service, many of them did so after considerable sacrifice of their own, including but not limited to their loss of sight on the battlefield or later due to a service-connected event or long-term exposure. They have been heard saying many times that they would do it all over again if they were needed to do so.
Many of these same BVA members now make other types of sacrifices—those of time, energy, and means to serve their fellow BVA members with uplifting counsel, encouragement, and direction, and to promote the interests of the organization that has made a difference in thousands of lives for now 80 years strong. To the multitude among us who fit this profile, we salute you, we thank you for your service, and we wish you a pleasant and meaningful Memorial Day weekend.
In keeping with Memorial Day traditions, blind and low vision veterans throughout the country will participate in parades, luncheons, and solemn ceremonies. For example, BVA will be represented by National President Paul Mimms and newly appointed Executive Director Vernon Humphrey at the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery. The observance will include a Presidential wreath laying, music by The President’s Own United States Marine Band and the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters performing a prelude in the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater, and a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier conducted by a joint service team.
Lawrence Harrison, a member of BVA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Group and a resident of the Nation’s Capital, will march with the BVA flag in the ceremony’s Parade of Colors. Michaun Harrison, longtime officer of the mid-Atlantic Regional Group, will carry the U.S. flag. The event will culminate with presentations of wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by an assortment of service organizations, mostly sister Veterans Service Organizations of the Blinded Veterans Association. An online link to a livestream of the 11am proceedings is available.
