The following is the write up by Colleen McGrath of Newport Buzz highlighting the Strewing of Flowers ceremony on Memorial Day 2025:
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 406 in Newport invited the public to remember and honor service members from all branches of the U.S. military who were lost at sea during both peace and wartime. The ceremony took place on May 26 at Storer Park. Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Shawn Burns recalled how the tradition began about 160 years ago, when Maj. Gen. John A. Logan established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to honor fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers. The ceremony has since been adapted to recognize and remember those lost at sea who have no gravestone—so their service is never forgotten.
Nancy Zitka sang the National Anthem under clear blue skies as a boat from USCG Castle Hill and Newport Fire Department’s Marine 6 patrolled the waters behind her. The Rev. Kevin Beesley of Saint John the Evangelist Church asked the crowd to remember the brave souls who rest in the depths of the sea, and that the flowers be carried out to them with heartfelt respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. “May the light of their bravery continue to shine on this nation,” Rev. Beesley prayed.
Capt. Anselm T.W. Richards, USA (Ret.), commander of VFW Post 406, welcomed those gathered to say thank you and remember the men and women who gave their lives in service. He recognized Rep. Marvin Abney, Fire Chief Harp Donnelly, Commander Nate Sanchez, Commander Ryan O’Hare, Mark Turner, and Peg Murray, among others, before stating that “every war fought ensures our freedom” and emphasizing the importance of gratitude and remembrance.
The featured speaker was Captain Andrew G. Schanno, USCG, director of Maritime Security Cooperation Programs at the U.S. Naval War College. Capt. Schanno reflected on how the heroes being honored had sacrificed everything—their families, passions, goals, hopes, and dreams—for our future. “The sea itself can be our most challenging adversary,” he said. He encouraged everyone to pursue their own hopes and dreams, but to pause from time to time to remember and pray for the fallen. Their sacrifice, he reminded the crowd, “shouldn’t—and doesn’t—only happen on the last Monday of May.”
