CFAY Observes Memorial Day

Photo By Taylor Ardito | YOKOHAMA, Japan (May 28, 2023) – A U.S. Sailor walks through the British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery before the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Day observance ceremony. For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Taylor Ardito)  

YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

06.02.2023

Story by Taylor Ardito 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan (June 2, 2023) — Memorial Day, typically known as a long weekend signifying the start of summer, holds a different meaning for Commander Fleet Activities, Yokosuka (CFAY), and other military communities. It is a solemn holiday representing generations of fallen service members, a time for remembrance and reflection. This year, members of the CFAY community observed the holiday by participating in several events throughout the week, each honoring the fallen in their own unique way.
On Wednesday, May 24, a group of 18 U.S. Sailors took a bus to the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery to clean and plant American flags on American gravesites. The historic cemetery, founded in 1854 through the U.S. Japan Treaty of Peace and Amity, negotiated by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, is cleaned twice a year with volunteers organized by the CFAY Ikego Liaison Office.
"We host this event on Memorial Day and Veterans Day every year," said Master-at-Arms First Class Constance Nevans, Lead Petty Officer of the Ikego Liaison Office. "We do it to honor the two most important days for military members."
The small group of Sailors observed Memorial Day through hard work in an effort to give back to those who sacrificed their lives to defend the nation. They successfully removed over 25 large garbage bags of debris from the cemetery.
On Saturday, May 27, the Fleet and Family Support Center and the U.S. Navy Gold Star Program hosted a Memorial Day Run. The main event was a one-mile run on a course displaying names and pictures of fallen service members, allowing participants to reflect throughout the run.
"Memorial Day is one of the hardest days for me," said Makiko Walker, a Gold Star Wife participant. "I am attending this run because I cannot visit my husband's grave this Memorial Day." Walker's late husband, Chief Petty Officer Demond A. Walker, is buried in a Veterans cemetery near his hometown in Virginia.
The run allowed CFAY community members to unite in a shared experience to honor the fallen through physical activity.
The events continued throughout the weekend on Sunday, May 28, as several organizations of the CFAY community participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Yokohama. The British section of the cemetery contains a large urn, the final resting place of the remains of 335 British, Dutch, and American service members who died as prisoners of war in Japan.
The ceremony included participants from the U.S. Navy, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fleet Reserve Association, Boy Scouts of America, and the Kinnick High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. Key leaders from each organization placed wreaths around the urn.
"It is important for us to honor them [fallen service members] by doing ceremonies like this," said CFAY's Command Master Chief Robert Beachy, one of the key leaders who laid a wreath. "It is important to remember the past."
As the sun set on this Memorial Day weekend, the echoes of gratitude and the spirit of remembrance lingered. The CFAY community stood united, filled with gratitude and reverence. From the solemn cleaning of gravesites to the reflective run and poignant wreath-laying ceremony, each event served as a testament to the unwavering commitment of the CFAY community to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.

• Date Taken: 06.02.2023
• Date Posted: 09.26.2023 01:47
• Story ID: 454180
• Location: YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP