~ Veterans groups lead Memorial Day efforts to honor those who died in defense of freedom.

When recalling the sacrifices of Americans in wartime, the contributions of women eager to take an active part in the armed forces shouldn't be overlooked, said the Memorial Day speaker at the Osage Community Centre.

Chief Petty Officer Sheryl R. Smith of the U.S. Naval Reserve recited the names of women, some disguised as men, who took an active part in combat or supporting roles dating back to the Revolutionary War.

And she noted that the plaque at Freedom Corner in Capaha Park honoring World War I dead from Cape Girardeau County includes the names of two women, Louise Wasem and Birdie Walker.

Jacob Azinger, 14, played taps on the trumpet to conclude the Scott City Memorial Day Service on Monday. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

And while those women, most likely Army nurses, Smith said, were not recognized by the government as veterans, their sacrifice "reminds me of the freedom I have to serve without a disguise."

Smith's remarks to the approximately 250 veterans and others on hand were part of the Memorial Day program put on by the Cape Girardeau Joint Veterans Council, representing five local veterans organizations. Veterans groups around the region held similar events, including a ceremony at Lightner Cemetery in Scott City and Jackson Cemetery in Jackson.

At Lightner Cemetery the Rev. Charles Lance, a World War II veteran from Scott City, reminded the roughly 60 people assembled what the holiday was about using President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as a centerpiece.

Lance spoke among headstones decorated with flags, each one with its own plaque on the back describing the deceased service to the nation.

"The world will not remember who we are possibly, but they will never forget to remember what those we honor today have done," said Lance, paraphrasing the famous speech at the Gettysburg cemetery. "We thank God for their sacrifices and for just being there."

Lance recalled young men, men he knew, who died in World War II. They included Kenneth Payne, whose body still lies at Pearl Harbor.

The veteran also reminded those assembled that Americans shouldn't let political views cloud their perception of veterans' sacrifices as occurred in Vietnam.

He said fighting men and women should never again "garner the greater vindictiveness of a nation that was deeply divided."

About 150 veterans, family members and others attended the Jackson ceremonies. They heard retired Navy Commander Lawson Burgfeld, a Jackson native, remind them of the heritage and spirit of Memorial Day.

Originally called Decoration Day, remembering war dead began during the Civil War when ladies from Corinth, Miss., visited the graves at Shiloh battlefield. Shiloh was the site of the bloodiest battle of the war in the West.

The dead provided the living with a chance to live in freedom, said Burgfeld. "The price for our way of life has been paid for by soldiers, with their gray headstones scattered across this country. Let this spirit be recognized, and for every flag placed beside a stone, a thank-you note should also be placed."

Burgfeld's story should be an inspiration, said David Ludwig, Americanism chair of American Legion Post 158. He graduated Jackson High School in 1964, joined the Navy in 1966 and served in Vietnam. He returned home to attend college, then returned to the Navy as an officer.

"He illustrates hard work and dedication to our country," Ludwig said.

At both the Jackson and Cape Girardeau ceremonies, an empty chair draped with the POW-MIA insignia was placed conspicuously near the podium. A new part of veterans ceremonies, it will remain at the center of American Legion events as a symbol of the thousands who never returned and whose fate is in question, said Larry Koehler, commander of Post 158.

"We must spare no effort to release those in captivity, for the repatriation of remains and for a full accounting," he said.

In Scott City those in attendance were reminded that those who died were heroes, but so are those who stay behind and serve in their own way.

Student Tyler Schwetman, winner of the Patriot Pen Award for VFW Post 6407, read his essay that said patriots are everything from soldiers to elderly women donating blood to a student raising the flag.

The post commander reinforced his message.

"Credit needs to go to the mothers, brothers, fathers and sisters who were back here waiting on us, and so many who got the message that we weren't coming home," said Joe Bles, a Vietnam veteran and commander of VFW Post 6407. "Without them we would have had no reason to fight."