Charlotte, North Carolina Local News
‘We benefit from that sacrifice’: Fallen service members remembered in Huntersville
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Portrait of retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph Reale Sr. taken on May 27, 2024.
Charlotte Observer Staff
Veterans, their families and others came together in Huntersville Monday to remember those who died serving the country.
The event, hosted by the local American Legion post, drew hundreds to Veterans Park on Memorial Day. Mayor Christy Clark, a local JROTC program, the North Mecklenburg Community Chorus and others participated.
“They were brothers in arms, but also brothers bonded by sacrifice,” said American Legion Post Commander Ross Monks, a retired Army officer and former candidate for the county’s board of commissioners.
Among those remembered Monday were Navy SEALs Nathan Gage Ingram and Christopher J. Chambers, who died this year trying to board an unflagged ship that reportedly was carrying Iranian-made weapons to Yemen. Others who served in World War II, the Korean War, the war in Vietnam and in Iraq also were honored.
“As proud Americans, we should all remember that our freedom is not free,” said Monks. “It is only possible because of heroes. Some from our own families and neighborhoods have paid a high price.”
There are about a million Americans who’ve died serving, said Joseph Reale Sr., a retired lieutenant colonel after 30 years in the Army, who also was in attendance Monday.
“We benefit from that sacrifice,” he said.
Reale, 78, recalled growing up in a time when military service was a “rite of passage.” And through his years working with the American Legion, he’s seen the military’s ties run deep, especially in smaller towns such as Huntersville.
Still, the military has struggled to recruit in recent years.
“I think the last few generations have missed that concept of serving — putting their hand up and volunteering,” Reale said.
People will often walk up to him and thank him for his service.
His response: “Thank you for allowing me to serve,” he says while shaking their hand.
“Because that’s the freedom that we have, that if you want to serve you can serve,” he said.
This story was originally published May 27, 2024, 4:07 PM.
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