Gold Star Family Guests Of Honor At Local Ceremony
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
A Gold Star family presented a commemorative wreath Tuesday at Center Lake Pavilion during a Memorial Day ceremony, which featured guest speaker Ken Tripp from Zimmer Biomet.
Paula and Gabrielle Fiscus were the guests of honor at the event. They represented Gold Star Families from the state of Indiana and presented the wreath “in honor of the many U.S. servicemen and women to have given the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom for our nation,” according to master of ceremonies Jim Waldrop, Zimmer Biomet Veterans Resource Leadership Team member.
A Gold Star Family designation indicates a member of their family was lost during combat operations, he said.
Waldrop then briefly spoke about Army National Guard Major Michael Todd Fiscus.
Fiscus hailed from Vincennes. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 to support the U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom. Fiscus was deployed as a member of 76th Separate Infantry Brigade, Headquarters Company, located in Indianapolis.
While in Afghanistan, one of Fiscus’s missions was to train local Afghan military units as part of the Coalition Joint Task Force Phoenix III. Fiscus – along with three fellow Indiana National Guard soldiers, Spc. Brett Hershey, 23, Indianapolis; Master Sgt. Michael Hiester, 33, Bluffton; and Spc. Norman “Kyle” Snyder, 21, Carlisle – were killed March 26, 2005, about 30 miles south of Kabul, when a land mine detonated beneath their vehicle.
“Today we honor this American hero’s selfless sacrifice and service, and the sacrifice of his family,” Waldrop said. “His father, Mike, also an Army captain himself, stated, ‘Todd was highly respected by his men and his superiors.’”
A moment of silence was then held before Taps was played.
Tripp, Zimmer Biomet Veterans Resource Group executive sponsor; senior vice president, global operations and logistics; and retired Navy senior petty officer, followed Taps with a commemorative speech.
“Thank you all for attending today’s event. It’s very, very emotional and it’s meant to be. This is truly what Memorial Day is about,” Tripp said. “And it’s ironic that we have been in a war so long, a global war, that children born on some of our warriors’ first deployments are now eligible for service themselves. It’s how long this has been going on. It’s amazing to me.”
He thanked everyone who contributed to making Tuesday’s event happen.
To Paula and Gabrielle Fiscus, he said, “Words can not actually describe how much we appreciate you being here to honor your husband and father as well as honoring the two of you for your strength, patriotism and willingness to participate in today’s event. It means a lot to us, and thank you.”
For the women and men present, whether veterans or first responders, Tripp said, “We appreciate anyone and everyone who runs toward the danger and is willing to put others ahead of their own self-interest. That trait and character is becoming more and more difficult to find nowadays, but thank God there are people like you that have or have had the watch.”
Memorial Day serves two purposes, Tripp said. One, to honor those who have “fallen in service of our country,” and the “unofficial beginning of summer for those of us who live in the north.” He said special events like Tuesday’s serve to remind Americans across the continent “that we get to enjoy this three-day weekend because we had people that kept this nation intact.”
The respect the fallen warriors deserve comes at a time when “this country’s character is constantly questioned, and our youth are more and more unaware of our history,” he said.
Tripp talked about how kids being interviewed on the news during this time of year can’t answer the simplest questions like which country the U.S. fought for its independence.
“Yet there are still millions of citizens that do know our history, who understand and appreciate that this country is good. That people made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom in numbers that most people can’t comprehend,” he said.
Tripp talked about the importance of people attending Memorial Day ceremonies like Tuesday’s. “Because as more and more of these events go on, it seems like the crowds in different areas get smaller and smaller. We need to make sure we do things like this so people never, ever forget,” he said.
As people take in Memorial Day, he encouraged them to enjoy their families, remember those loved ones who have passed and get in spirit of good times to come.
“I would ask you that you take time to remember families like Paula’s and Gabrielle’s who would trade anything for another day with their husband or dad,” Tripp said, choking up. “You need to count your blessings and make a toast to absent friends and family. We can never forget what so few did for so many.”
He ended his speech with his favorite poem, “Live Your Life,” from Native American Shawnee Chief Tecumseh.
Waldrop, in his opening remarks, said the Zimmer Biomet Veterans Resource Leadership Team is one of the new organizations within Zimmer Biomet.
“This will be hopefully one of our signature events that we will do annually here in the city of Warsaw,” Waldrop said of the Memorial Day ceremony.
He recognized the organizations participating in the event, which included the color guard from The Fighting Tiger Battalion of Warsaw Community High School Junior ROTC program; the Fiscus family; Tripp; the executive team from Zimmer Biomet; Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1126; American Legion Post 49; first responders representing the Warsaw fire and police departments, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office and Winona Lake Police Department; and the Zimmer Biomet Orchestra and Musicians including WCHS concert band musicians and some Purdue University students.
