by marlys good

American flags held aloft by members of the Overland Riders from Basin and Greybull welcomed guests who walked under the canopy of flags into the newly renamed Donald J. Ruhl Memorial Cemetery for Friday’s dedication of the Donald J. Ruhl Monument.

It was a fitting welcome for former classmates, friends and relatives from Montana and Washington state, Marine Corps veterans of Iwo Jima, members of Marine Corps League posts and dignitaries representing the city, county, state and federal government who came to Greybull expressly for the dedication.

Master of ceremonies and cemetery board member Scott McColloch set the tone in his opening remarks by noting two words came to him on this memorial and dedication: “Pain and pride. I cannot begin to image the pain his family endured on hearing of the death of their son and brother ... I can only speculate to the pride (they felt) for the manner in which he sacrificed his life to save a fellow marine. They say time heals all wounds, but I suspect that while some pain diminished and pride grew, the pride never was enough to erase the pain.”

McColloch said it was his “sincere hope that future generations, as they gaze at this memorial of this young marine who sacrificed his life on an island in the Pacific, that it will remind them of all those who have served our country in war and peace, to honor them, and hope they might be inspired to a life of service to others.”

Rita Meyer, the current state auditor and retired military, also touched on this subject, noting, “Time dulls pain - but never erases the loss.... In every war all give some, and some give all.”  Meyer said Ruhl’s sacrifice was a “gift that keeps on giving ... remember the real heroes, their bright hope and inspiration. Freedom is never free ... his (and all those who serve) sacrifice is a painful reminder of the price.”

Keynote speaker Wally Morger, a survivor of the fierce Battle for Iwo Jima, spoke in measured tones to a hushed audience and reminded them that July 2 would have marked Pfc. Ruhl’s 87 birthday — then harkened back to the opening of  President Abraham Lincoln’s  Gettysburg address: “Fourscore and seven years ago … ”

 When Ruhl enlisted, Morger explained, “he signed an oath that he would lay down his life to defend his country,” and wondered if Ruhl, as young as he was, “had the ability to understand” what that would mean.

Ruhl was just one example of Lincoln’s unforgettable words of those men who died in giving the last full measure of devotion. “Ruhl gave his last full measure of devotion — it doesn’t get any fuller,” Morger said.

Going forward to World War I, Morger recited “In Flanders Field,” by John McCrae:

“Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow. Loved and were loved, and now we lie, in Flander’s Field,” speaking of yet another generation who gave their lives in defense of freedom ... young men whose lives were snuffed out on battlefields in far-away lands.

Morger closed by quoting “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American who crossed the border into Canada to join the RCAF and went on to fly the Supermarine Spitfire in fighter sweeps over France.

Gillespie was just 19 when he was killed on Dec. 11, 1941, three days after the United States entered the war. Gillespie, like Ruhl and thousands of others who fought so valiantly, was “destined never to be any older,” Morger said.

A wreath was placed on Pfc. Ruhl’s grave by Melvyn Stene, representing Ruhl’s Joliet High School classmates Stanley Arthun,  Isabell Monaco and Otto Kebschull.  Arthun accompanied Stene as the wreath was laid.

Verla Kershner, friend and former neighbor of Ruhl’s parents, accompanied by her sons, Tim and Tom, placed a Gold Star Mother’s pin on Edith’s headstone.

The dedication closed with the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” by Leah Hoblit and Darla Haller.

Kenneth Kearney, two years younger than his cousin Donald, came from Colorado for the dedication. Kenneth served in the Navy during WWII “on one of those baby flat tops.” He recalled family visits with the Ruhl’s. “They came and went,” he said of Jack and Edith, who moved from place to place in Montana during their children’s growing up days. Donald’s heroic actions came as no surprise to Kenneth. “He was just the kind of person who would do everything … anything he could for his friends.”

Another of Donald’s cousins, Bonnie Taylor from Seattle, Wash., was deeply moved by the ceremony. “We are just so appreciative. It was wonderful...” Bonnie was the same age as Donald’s younger brother Clyde (who graduated from GHS).

As a young boy, Donald was “just nice. Frisky, friendly, interested in things. I can remember when he came home on furlough. We (Clyde and I) were in high school, we didn’t know he was on leave and he came walking into the high school … in his uniform. We were just so proud.” Her voice drops as she says she still recalls “How sad, how very terrible when word got to us” of his death.  “I remember like it was yesterday.”

The invocation and benediction were offered by Chaplain Leonard Robinson, an unsung hero of World War II who survived the Bataan Death March and four years of incarceration at the hands of the Japanese.

The newly-raised flag fluttered in the Wyoming breeze as the audience mingled after the service to greet Ruhl’s family, his friends and classmates and visit with other veterans and dignitaries gathered on this warm July morning. Many stopped to read headstones marking the graves of other veterans who gave the supreme sacrifice to keep othe country free. These veterans, too, were being honored in this dedication.