The Mission Valley pays tribute

RONAN — Laverne Parrish didn’t think about his safety when he crawled into an open field while enemy fire rained down around him.

Parrish would die after being injured by mortar fire in the Philippine Islands during World War II.

But before suffering his fatal wounds, Parrish, a medic, treated 12 wounded soldiers in an open field, and he was able to pull five injured soldiers to safety.

For his bravery, Parrish was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was one of only a mere few hundred soldiers out of the millions who served in WWII to receive the high honor.

Veteran Warrior Society member and Vietnam veteran Bill Rogers paused for a moment of reflection at Parrish’s headstone on Memorial Day.

“Laverne, like all soldiers, has too small a stone,” Rogers said.

But like all soldiers, “he wouldn’t care for anything bigger,” Rogers added.

Today’s Americans can honor Parrish and other soldiers who have sacrificed everything for this nation’s freedoms by living up to their dreams and ideals, James Pettit, U.S. Air Force retired, told people gathered for Memorial Day observances in Ronan on Monday.

Respect the flag and what it stands for, and consider that veterans wouldn’t hesitate to return to battle to protect Americans’ freedoms, he said.

“We love our country, we love our nation, we love what it stands for,” Pettit said.

No matter how many times U.S. Navy veteran Jerry Akers has played taps for memorials and funerals, he always feels honored and he said he felt the same playing during Monday’s ceremonies.

When he was young and joined up during the Korean War in 1951, Akers left home with other young men who didn’t know where they were going or what to expect.

“When you get back home, there’s some that didn’t get back for a variety of reasons,” he said.

His playing honors them.

“That’s a real privilege,” he said.

He mourned that more people don’t show support for Memorial Day observances.

“There should be at least one day a year when it wouldn’t be too much trouble to show respect to veterans,” he said.

Rocki Davis, president of the Ronan Ladies Auxiliary Post 5652, said Memorial Day is a chance to remember what others have given for us.

“It’s just a day of remembering their service and thinking about our freedoms and appreciating it,” Davis said.

Teach children what the soldiers fought for, she said.

“They may be gone, but they’re still here protecting us because there’re guiding us,” she said. “They’re guiding our soldiers from a distance.”

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