Memorial Day
Program
Monday May 27, 2024
The American Legion Cemetery, Inc.
and
The American Legion
USS Tampa Post 5 Families
Program
Introduction
Chris Man-Son-Hing
Commander of the American Legion U.S.S. Tampa Post 5
Welcome
Master of Ceremonies Terry Doan
Director of the American Legion Cemetery Corporation and member of the American Legion U.S.S. Tampa Post 5
Opening Prayer
Auxiliary District Chaplain
Advancement of Colors
Color Guard from Jefferson,
Sons of the American Revolution,
Post 5 Honor Guard
Pledge of Allegiance
Vocalist
National Anthem
Guest Speaker
U.S. Army Retired
Mayor's Proclamation (PDF)
Ed O’Mara
USS Tampa Post 5 member
Post Everlasting - Placement of Wreaths
Announcements by Alyse Duffy
President of the American Legion Corporation
Reading of "In Flanders’s Field"
by John McCrae
Susie Nicely
President of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 5
Vocalist
ET1 Joel Gutierrez, US Navy
God Bless America
Reading of "A Soldier Died Today"
by A. Larry Vaincourt
Brian Fuerst
Commander, Sons of the American Legion Sq. 5, Tampa
Closing Prayer
Chaplain Cynthia Keeton-Gill
Auxiliary District Chaplain
Three Rifle Volley Salute
Taps
The American Legion Post 5 Honor Guard,
led by Post 5 First Vice Commander Angel Valentin
Retrieve the Colors
Color Guard from Jefferson,
Sons of the American Revolution,
Post 5 Honor Guard
Raising of Flags to Full Staff
Closing Remarks
Master of Ceremonies Terry Doan
(Director of the American Legion Cemetery Corporation and member of the American Legion U.S.S. Tampa Post 5)
Bio's
Jermaine Robinson's (A Singer, Entertainer, Author, and Service Member) healing voice is influenced mostly by the rich sound of Gospel. Born November 23, 1988, on the beautiful Island of Jamaica. Raised in Tampa Bay, Florida. He is the only child for both parents. Graduate of Walter L. Sickles High School. Grew up singing at church and school. Some of his more notable performances include The National Anthem, at the Houston Astros & Houston Rockets. He used his vocal talents for fellow vereran's and observers at the Phillips 66 Headquarters Veteran's Day Observance in Houston, TX.
Electronic Technician First Class Joel Gutierrez (United States Navy), born Baby Gutierrez No. 2 in Fort Knox, KY. He grew up the military child of SFC Jovino Gutierrez and Mother Ida Gutierrez which took him to Germany and Texas. Joel has always had a passion for creating, building, music and at an early age, all of these skills led him towards an interest in electronics which ultimately led him to enlisting in the U.S. Navy as an AECF candidate in November of 2008. His first ship was USS The Sullivans (DDG68) stationed in Mayport Florida, where he spent 4 years as the Ballistic Missile Defense Technician. Later went on to spend 3 years at Defense Media Activity at Ft. Meade, Maryland where he was responsible for designing, maintaining, and managing broadcast production support and transmissions suites that are used to support President Obama, Secretary Carter and many other high DOD officials. Next adventure took him to the USS Dextrous (MCM13) in Manama Bahrain where he served as Leading Petty Officer for OC01 and OE01 divisions. Now he’s at JCSE TAMPA FL winning HF competitions and killing it.
Ed Dorman, MG, USA (R), serves as a Headquarters Department of the Army, Highly Qualified Expert (HQE) & Senior Mentor with the Army’s Mission Command Training Program (MCTP), mentoring & advising Army Service Component command, Corps, Division, Theater and Expeditionary Commanding Generals and their Staffs on Sustaining Large Scale Combat Operations. Ed is an Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Leadership Fellow, & Member, Army Sustainment University (ASU) Board of Visitors (BoV) that provides independent SME advice and recommendations on the curricula, organizational management, sustaining contested operations, and other matters of interest relating to development of Sustainers and delivery of Sustainment. He serves as the Chair of the NDIA Contested Logistics Subcommittee and a member of the NDTA Logistics & Distribution Committee. When not on HQE duties, Ed is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, S10 Consulting. Principle responsibilities lie in proactively coordinating, controlling, and delivering an unparalleled level of service to US Defense & Government customers. This is accomplished by “Evolving Vision to Strategy, Strategy to Plans and Plans to Successful Outcomes.” Ed’s military service of 38 years saw service at every level in conventional and unconventional units globally including approximately 72 months over successive combat deployments. Before being named to these positions, Ed served his final two assignments as Commanding General for USINDOPACOM’s 8th Theater Sustainment Command and Director, Logistics & Engineering, J-4 United States Central Command. In these positions, he was responsible for strategic policy, planning & guidance for the logistics support (all elements of supply, transportation, and construction) for over 300,000 US and multi-national personnel conducting combat and support operations across the INDOPACIFIC and subsequently in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and 20 other Middle East and South Asian nations. Other General Officer assignments include Deputy CG, SDDC, us Army Chief of Transportation, Military Assistant to the Commander ISAF & ISAF Director for Logistics-J4. Since retiring, MG (R) Dorman has served in a variety of roles. From January 2019 to November 2020, he served as a Fellow with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) advising the Lebanese Armed Forces on transformation and modernization and as a logistics SME contributing to the independent assessment of the DOD Joint Warfighting Concept. MG (R) Dorman holds a Master of Language Arts in German Language & Literature from the Johannes Guttenberg Universität, Mainz Germany and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School for National Resource Strategy. Contact info: [email protected] or 910-476-8393.
"In Flanders’s Field"
by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Just A Common Soldier
(A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy
and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in
and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors,
his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened,
for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer
for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer,
for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many,
just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary
and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family,
quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing,
though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth,
their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing
and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories,
from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier
goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution
to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises
and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who,
in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country
and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend
and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate
to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier,
who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them
for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle,
but we know
It was not the politicians,
with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician
with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier,
who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country
and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier
and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline
in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning,
for a soldier died today.
Never Forgotten
