Memorial Day 2022: May 30
Memorial Day is an important day with sacred traditions, community, and the time set apart to remember of our fallen service members for their lives and sacrifices.
As we prepare for Memorial Day 2022, we invite the SPU community — faculty, staff, and students — to honor the service members in their lives who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Many people have a connection to someone who was killed in action (KIA), missing in action (MIA) while serving their country, or later died by suicide, we invite you to remember and honor them here.
Post below on this special tree, sharing a story of a family member, friend, or colleague.*
*Posts will be added as soon as possible, but do not automatically appear. You will be notified when your post goes live.
Private Harry Osbourne Adams, died at 16 years old, April 9, 1917 in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was my great Uncle and 2 years underage when he enlisted in the army.
A1C Anthony Russell Air Force
My brother and best friend. He enlisted a year before 9/11 and served in the Persian Gulf. His military service did not define him...his empathetic spirit did. He lost the battle to depression and PTSD in January, 2020. He was a beautiful artist.
Howard Joseph Abbott, LT, USN
My grandfather was lost on a submarine when USS O-9 (SS 70) sank during a test dive approximately 15 miles off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on June 20, 1941. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he was the commanding officer.
Promoted to Captain earlier in the day, Derek Argel perished on 30 May 2005 in the crash of an Iraqi Air Force SL7 reconnaissance/ transport plane. USAF.
Private Andrés Gomez, U.S. Army, Killed in Action November 22, 1944. Andrés survived D-Day and numerous battles during the liberation of France. After recovering from wounds received during the Allied drive to Paris, Andrés volunteered to rejoin his unit as they began fighting into Nazi Germany. He was killed the day before Thanksgiving Day during the final campaign to defeat Nazi forces west of the Rhine River. He was my mother’s father, and his sacrifice dramatically affected her childhood and has continued to play prominently in our family history. His name carries on in my son, Elliott Andrés, age 16.
Soon after his 21st birthday in 2005, Lance Corporal Nicholas Bloem, USMC, was killed in action when his transport hit an IED during the Iraq War. He remains forever in the hearts of family and friends.
In loving memory of Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Gourley. Gone too soon from depression. In remembrance of the hundreds of service members who lose their lives each day to this horrible illness. ♥️ Fly high AT1.
Naval pilot, Commander Harley H. Hall, shot down Jan 27, 1973, over North Vietnam. He is considered POW/MIA and the last pilot shot down before the cease fire was signed that day. He commanded the Blue Angels and was one of the groomsmen in my parents wedding party. My mother wore his MIA bracelet for years.