'All we can do is remember'
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Isaiah Luster sits with a flag during the Memorial Day ceremony at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
BILL BULEY/Press
Michael Bruce Curry II attends the Memorial Day ceremony at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
Honor Guard members participate in Memorial Day activities at McEuen Park Veterans Memorial.
Michael Quinn salutes at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens on Monday.
A woman walks to the Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Cemetery.
Bob Martin, center, and fellow veterans hold swords during the Missing Man Table ceremony on Monday at McEuen Park Veterans Memorial.
Kenny Moore delivers the keynote address on Memorial Day in Coeur d'Alene at McEuen Park Veterans Memorial.
Julia Mangan, left, and Opal Spatz carry the wreath on Memorial Day at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
People participate in the Memorial Day ceremony at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
Boots with a flag on display at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens on Monday.
A woman named Connie places flowers at the gravesite for her parents and brother and Monday at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
North Idaho Young Marines bow theirs heads in prayer on Monday at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens. From left, Justin Garwood, David Goodman, Kaydence Dubois, Joshua Valentini and Dominic Harsh.
A flag is held on Memorial Day in Coeur d'Alene.
A woman named Connie places flowers at the gravesite for her parents and brother and Monday at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
A North Idaho Young Marine rings the bell as names are read Monday of veterans who died in the past year.
Dennis Watson, left, and Charles Riffle salute after tossing the wreath in Lake Coeur d'Alene on Monday.
People pause during prayer at Coeur d'Alene memorial Gardens on Monday.
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | May 27, 2025 1:09 AM
During the Memorial Day ceremony at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens, Michael Bruce Curry II went to one knee, looked down and saluted.
He held that salute for about 30 seconds during a song as he thought of his father, who served in the Air Force in Germany.
Tears fell.
“It’s an emotional day,” Curry said as he walked away.
Across North Idaho, flags fluttered, wreaths were carried forth and taps played to honor those who served in the military and died for their nation.
Young and old stood in silence, in respect for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
“From the beginning of our nation’s history, America’s patriots have always been at the forefront in defense of freedom and liberty," said Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Legler to about 100 people at Veterans Memorial at McEuen Park.
Kenny Moore, retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, delivered the keynote speech. He said those who died for their country were among the best and the brightest.
“What they gave to us is beyond our power to replace,” he said. “All we can do is remember.”
He said many who died in combat were young men, boys, really, who gave up two lives: the ones they lived and the ones they would have lived. They gave up the chance to be husbands, fathers and grandfathers.
“They gave up everything for our country and for us,” Moore said.
Moore said those living today have the responsibility to remember the conditions that led to wars in which people died. He said they were victims of a peace process that failed and of decisions that forgot certain things.
Moore said the surest way to keep peace is to stay strong.
“Don't forget what we stand for,” he said.
Legler said while Memorial Day is not about barbecues and a kickoff to summer, it is what those who died for their country would want.
“They were willing to do that for the freedom our country has," he said.
Michael Quinn, commandant of the Pappy Boyington Detachment of the Marine Corps League, gave the keynote address at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens to about 200 people.
He said Memorial Day was a day dedicated to men and women who answered duty’s call and laid down their lives to defend the freedoms cherished in America.
Quinn said men and women with dreams and potential to do great things “willingly faced dangers for something greater than themselves.”
“They faced unimaginable challenges and displayed incredible bravery,” he said.
“Their stories, so often marked by sorrow, are powerful testaments to the strength of the human spirit and unwavering dedication to our nation’s ideals,” Quinn said.
He called on people to honor their sacrifice by participating in democracy and upholding its principles.
“Let us dedicate ourselves to the ideals they defended,” Quinn said.
He said to share their legacies with generations to come, support families who feel their absence and “work toward a future so such sacrifice is never again necessary.”
He urged people to carry a "profound understanding of Memorial Day’s true meaning.
“It is a day of remembrance, a day of honor, a day to be deeply thankful for the heroes who gave their all for the land we call home," Quinn said. "Their sacrifice echoes through time, a constant reminder of the precious and fragile nature of freedom. Let us never forget.”
Michael Bruce Curry II attends the Memorial Day ceremony at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
Honor Guard members participate in Memorial Day activities at McEuen Park Veterans Memorial.
Michael Quinn salutes at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens on Monday.
A woman walks to the Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Cemetery.
Bob Martin, center, and fellow veterans hold swords during the Missing Man Table ceremony on Monday at McEuen Park Veterans Memorial.
Kenny Moore delivers the keynote address on Memorial Day in Coeur d'Alene at McEuen Park Veterans Memorial.
Julia Mangan, left, and Opal Spatz carry the wreath on Memorial Day at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
People participate in the Memorial Day ceremony at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
Boots with a flag on display at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens on Monday.
A woman named Connie places flowers at the gravesite for her parents and brother and Monday at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.
North Idaho Young Marines bow theirs heads in prayer on Monday at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens. From left, Justin Garwood, David Goodman, Kaydence Dubois, Joshua Valentini and Dominic Harsh.
A flag is held on Memorial Day in Coeur d'Alene.
A North Idaho Young Marine rings the bell as names are read Monday of veterans who died in the past year.
Dennis Watson, left, and Charles Riffle salute after tossing the wreath in Lake Coeur d'Alene on Monday.
People pause during prayer at Coeur d'Alene memorial Gardens on Monday.ARTICLES BY BILL BULEY
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