Among the many solemn ceremonies held on Monday to mark Memorial Day, around two dozen people visited the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis to not only learn about Lewis County’s military warriors throughout its history, but also for the Tree of Life ceremony.
The Tree of Life is decorated with dog tags, each containing the name of a fallen service member known to someone who made a donation to the museum.
During the ceremony, each name, along with the service member’s rank and dates in service, are read aloud, followed by the ringing of a bell and the lighting of a candle.
Some of those in attendance during Monday’s ceremony were relatives or friends of the fallen service members. They were invited to light the candle if they desired.
Toward the end of the ceremony, Veterans Memorial Museum Executive Director Chip Duncan revealed that a number of the names on the Tree of Life were not combat casualties, but veterans lost to suicide following the end of their service.
“We commit this light, that they were in our lives,” Duncan said during the closing prayer. “Whether we knew them or not, they gave us freedom. They secured for us the ability to live the American Dream or life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Father, may we never forget those that paid the ultimate sacrifice either on the battlefield, or even to the demons that engulfed them within.”
The Veterans Memorial Museum is located at 100 SW Veterans Way in Chehalis. To learn more, visit the museum’s website at https://www.veteransmuseum.org/ or follow it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chehalisveteransmemorialmuseum.
