EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Dressed in the bright whites, deep blues and dense blacks of their service uniforms, Airmen, Marines, Sailors and Soldiers returned this year to honor and remember their fallen explosive ordnance disposal brethren May 3.
The annual memorial ceremony, in its 56th year, took place at Eglin’s Kauffman EOD Training Complex amid sporadic heavy rain showers and surrounded by dark storm clouds.
The schoolhouse’s commandant, Navy Capt. Doug Alley, welcomed guests who braved the weather and explained why they return to the memorial on the first Saturday of May each year. This specific Saturday is designated National EOD Day.
“We gather here with solemn hearts and profound gratitude to honor those who’ve given the last full measure of devotion in service to our nation,” Alley said.
Alley then welcomed Sgt. Major of the Army Michael Weimer as the guest speaker. Weimer is one of very few enlisted members to be the keynote speaker at the memorial event.
“Four services, one badge, a shared legacy. This memorial is a testament to that legacy,” said Weimer. “It serves as a foundation of this community. Each day, driving past this memorial should motivate you on the way in, to be the best you can be and on the way home, to be the best you can be for your family.”
After Weimer’s words, each service presented a wreath in front of their specific memorial as each name contained on the wall is solemnly read aloud. This year, a golden plate bearing Army 1st Lt. Zachary Galli’s name was added to the wall. The all-service total now stands at 345.
After Galli’s induction, Lt. Gen. Heidi Hoyle, Army deputy chief of staff for logistics, presented his mother, Gail Galli, with a folded flag flown over the Memorial Wall.
“(Lieutenant Galli) stepped forward when others didn’t’ because of fear of failure,” said Alley. “His authenticity and grit are truly representative of the EOD community. The memories of Lieutenant Galli alongside all of the EOD brothers and sisters honored on this wall will live on with us within our communities.”
The storms subsided by the ceremony’s conclusion, and the area around the Wall got very quiet. The only sounds came from the sandy grit beneath the joint-service color guard’s tapped shoes as they marched toward the Memorial to retire the colors. The next sounds blasted away the quiet when Eglin’s honor guard performed a three-round rifle volley. As the rifle echoes settled and the smell of gun powder filled the air, Taps played to end the ceremony.
Afterward, families and EOD technicians both past and present descended upon the Wall for pictures, to touch the engraved brass name or just remember a fallen hero.