FAIRMONT — The annual Memorial Day ceremony was held at the new Martin County Veteran’s Memorial park located on Winnebago Avenue in Fairmont. This was a change in venue from previous years.

The ceremony started with some words by VFW Post #36 Commander Steve Fosness. Fosness read the poem “I Am A Veteran” by Andrea Brett. Following that was an invocation from Chaplain Major Cory Germain before Fosness introduced this year’s guest speaker, his son, SFC Steven L. Fosness, NCOIC of the Minnesota Medical Detachment.

Steven is a fourth generation soldier, currently serving as a Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Minnesota Medical Detachment, located at Camp Ripley.

Steven has been enlisted for 15 years, assigned to four different units, with the Minnesota Medical Detachment being his most recent.

Steven and his family, which includes his wife and their five children, live on a ranch north of Duluth.

“Honestly, I’m really honored to be with here today,” Steven started. “I was born in Fairmont, moved around a little bit, and returned in first grade and stayed here until I graduated from high school.”

“Let me take you back to October 5, 2005. I was a young private, first class, newly married and my wife was expecting our first child. I was at that point deployed to an unknown location in Iraq with an unknown mission. We were leaving for 18 months to a warzone. I was young and scared, but trained and ready,” Steven said.

Steven was assigned to an infantry battalion and admitted he was unsure what to expect, but ready to save lives. Steven said that with that came the realization that saving lives might mean sacrificing his own.

“Those of us who have served, or are serving now, know that putting our lives on the line for the betterment of our country, is something that we have chosen to do,” Steven said.

“I was a medic in a warzone. I was treating everything from ingrown toenails to life-threatening injuries. Being a medic in Iraq was a life-changing experience. I will forever remember the faces of the men and women I treated and while some of them could not be saved, I will always remember and honor them each Memorial Day,” Steven said.

Steven said he was lucky enough to return home to his family, but acknowledged that many of the nation’s military don’t return home.

“Since our nation’s founding, over 1.2 million people have made what we call the “ultimate sacrifice.” Unlike Veteran’s Day and Armed Forces Day, which is meant to honor those who have served or are currently serving, Memorial Day is reserved for honoring the heroes who have lost their lives serving our country, and for the sacrifice that they and their families have made,” Steven said.

Steven gave a brief history of the Memorial Day holiday, saying that the observance of the holiday was started after the Civil War, and was called Declaration Day.

Steven said that, coming from a military family, he was raised to respect the flag and honor veterans.

“I remember placing flags in cemeteries, reading the names and ranks of the people and wondering what their story was,” Steven recalled, saying that he always had so many questions for his dad about his grandfather and great-grandfather, who also served.

Steven said that his grandfather once said something that had a lasting impact on him.

“He said, ‘I would not take a million dollars for experiences, but I wouldn’t give a penny to live them over again.'”

Steven said that while we will never know the untold stories of the men and women who have lost their lives while serving, we can honor them today.

“I feel so blessed and proud to be able to bring my children back to Fairmont this week. To be able to be a part of a community that honors and celebrates the day for what it truly is. As a father of five, my wife and I try diligently to make sure that our children respect and understand the greatness of our country, the sacrifices of those who came before us and how blessed we are to be Americans,” Steven said.

After being a medic in the army, Steven said it only made sense for him to pursue a career in the medical field in his civilian life. He is currently a registered Nurse, going back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner.

Steven ended with a quote from General Patton: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that those men lived.”