By Patrick Bray
DLIFLC Public Affairs
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center observed Memorial Day during a ceremony on Soldier Field at the Presidio of Monterey, California, May 26. Retired U.S. Air Force Col. William “Terry” Bare, former assistant commandant of DLIFLC from 2008 to 2011, was the special guest speaker at the event. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)
MONTEREY, Calif. – The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center observed Memorial Day during a ceremony on Soldier Field at the Presidio of Monterey, California, May 26. The annual ceremony consists of a formation of troops in their dress uniforms representing all four service detachments, ceremonial cannon fire and the playing of taps.
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. William “Terry” Bare, former assistant commandant at DLIFLC from 2008 to 2011 and guest speaker at the event, encouraged the attendees to observe the Memorial Day holiday as a day of reflection and remembrance and not just a long weekend.
“So here’s my challenge to you. Think about on Memorial Day those Americans from the late 1770s to the current day, those 1.5 million veterans, who gave their lives for all,” said Bare.
Bare is the executive director of the Monterey County Veterans Transition Center and serves on a program that helps veterans in need.
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center observed Memorial Day during a ceremony on Soldier Field at the Presidio of Monterey, California, May 26. Retired U.S. Air Force Col. William “Terry” Bare, former assistant commandant of DLIFLC from 2008 to 2011, was the special guest speaker at the event. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)
“I believe as a nation and a community we owe them our best effort,” said Bare.
Following the remarks, Col. Phillip Deppert, commandant, and Ben De La Selva, founder of the DLI Alumni Association, unveiled the plaque of the institute’s graduates who lost their lives in the Global War on Terrorism. This year, there were no names to add to the plaque, a list which includes 330 DLIFLC graduates who gave their lives for their nation since 1963, when official documentation began.
Memorial Day dates back to the end of the Civil War as towns across America honored those who died in the war. The tradition continued as the U.S. fought in other wars, and it became an official federal holiday in 1971 as a special day for Americans to honor and remember all who have died while serving in the Armed Forces.
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center observed Memorial Day during a ceremony on Soldier Field at the Presidio of Monterey, California, May 26. Retired U.S. Air Force Col. William “Terry” Bare, former assistant commandant of DLIFLC from 2008 to 2011, was the special guest speaker at the event. (Photo by Amber K. Whittington)
