Gym Fed CrossFit owner Edlin Macias completes a pull-up during the "Murph" workout at Gym Fed CrossFit in Lindale on Monday, May 27, 2019. The workout is named after Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, a United States Navy SEAL killed in action in Afghanistan and consists of a 1-mile run followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and another 1-mile run. (LouAnna Campbell, Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Walter Mosley, 91, of Point; Jack Stringer, 92, of Tyler; and Gene Tomlin, 95, of Whitehouse, are members of what has become known as the Greatest Generation. They stood together as strangers, but looked as if they could have known each other their entire lives.

The men wore their black hats with World War II Veteran embroidered on the front, shook hands with strangers who praised them for their service and posed for photographs before taking a seat at the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Tyler Memorial Cemetery on Monday.    

“You need to honor the people who came before you and honor the ones who are trying to keep it going,” Stringer said.

Stringer said he served in the U.S. Army’s Transportation Command during the war and was on leave from Camp Fannin when he heard the news that the U.S. had dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. 

Tomlin said he served in the Pacific from Australia to Japan and was part of the occupation force in Japan during the war. 

“If we wouldn’t have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, I might not have made it back,” Tomlin said. “We were ready to invade.”

Mosley said he makes it down to Tyler every year for the ceremony to visit family and the graves of friends and family buried in the cemetery.  

Mosley said he served from 1941-1947 and started out in the Army, but transferred to the Air Force in 1947 when the Air Force became its own branch of the armed forces.  

Mosley said he served stateside assignments in Utah, at Hamilton Field in California, and at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio during the war. 

About 750 people came to the ceremony to honor military members who have died in the line of duty while serving the country.

The annual ceremony began with the traditional presentation of the colors. The East Texas Men in Harmony sang the national anthem. 

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, spoke at the event. 

Gohmert, a U.S. Army veteran, said we are blessed beyond measure in the U.S.

“We have been given the gift of freedom,” he said. “We are responsible for taking care of it.”

Gohmert said he didn’t want to make his speech political, but said we have an interesting leader, a need to protect freedom of speech and preserve our freedom. 

“Extending freedom for decades to come requires preserving and reestablishing biblical morals,” he said.

Gohmert also talked about the recent government shutdown that called for the leasing of barriers that were placed around the veteran’s memorials blocking busloads of veterans from visiting the monuments in Washington, D.C. 

Gohmert said he grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk to cut the crime scene tape placed around the WWII memorial.

“When I cut the tape, a bagpiper started playing and the veterans lined up behind him and walked down to the memorial,” Gohmert said. “It was so powerful and uplifting.”

Gohmert said he made a point to go to the Iwo Jima Memorial that same day to make sure it wasn’t blocked off. 

“When I got there I saw a bus of veterans had driven over the wooden barrier that blocked off the memorial,” he said. “One of the veterans on the bus told me that the Japanese weren’t able to stop us from going up Mount Suribachi and we weren’t going to let a wooden barrier stop us from seeing the memorial.”  

Gohmert said it had been a while since he had spoken at the event, but said it is always wonderful to be at the ceremony with so many people that love America. 

Air National Guard First Sergeant R.W. Bray also spoke at the ceremony. Bray is Southeast Texas deputy regional director for Sen. Ted Cruz.

Bray’s speech focused on not forgetting the men and women who lost their lives fighting for the country. 

“Freedom is not free,” he said. “God bless days like this when people who get it come together to celebrate.” 

Bray said he knows there are people who still remember Normandy better than the birth of their first born. 

He said there are many people who sacrificed their lives for the war and the country like those who would have been inventors, physicians who could have cured cancer, mothers who were supposed to give birth to the greatest president and pastors who were to start churches.

“We have lost 19-year-olds who won’t know what falling in love feels like,” he said. “And, a young woman who will never wear white on her wedding day.” 

Bray ended by encouraging the crowd to go out and enjoy a good cigar, remember a good friend, find a lake and watch the kids play and say thank you to a veteran. 

The ceremony ended with the playing of taps and “Amazing Grace.”

After the event, Gohmert shook hands, answered questions about what is going on in Congress and took selfies and photographs with residents. 

WATKINS-LOGAN TEXAS STATE VETERANS HOME 

This year staff members of Watkins-Logan Texas State Veterans Home who are also veterans took the opportunity to present the colors at the Memorial Day ceremony. 

About 300 people attended the event, including family members of former residents who died this past year. 

“The residents were moved by the calling of the names for each resident who passed away since last Memorial Day,” director of activities Christina Mullings said. “Memorial Day isn’t about barbecues and pool parties. It’s about those who filled the boots for those not brave enough to do it and those people gave us the right to have parties on Memorial Day.” 

Jessica Medcalf of the Veterans Land Board said the annual ceremony was happy where it needed to be happy and solemn where it needed to be.

Retired Army Lt. Colonel Jim Snow of the East Texas Veterans Alliance served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker.

Snow’s message was about supporting veterans, their families and caregivers.

He said even though Memorial Day is about honoring the fallen men and women there is still an obligation in this country to support veterans, their families and caregivers. 

“MURPH”

Kelsey Covington, 26, of Lindale spent almost an hour on Monday running and checking off the exercises she did while she was working at GymFed CrossFit in Lindale.

Covington and about 30 others did “Murph,” a CrossFit workout named after Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, a United States Navy SEAL who was killed in action, June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan.

CrossFit gyms across the country do the workout during Memorial Day weekend in remembrance of those who have died while serving in the United States armed forces.

The workout can be scaled for any level of athlete. It involves a 1-mile run followed by 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats and another 1-mile run. 

“This is the first time I’ve done the workout,” Covington said. “It was extra special for me because my brother is in the Army. 

Nate McCollum, of Lindale, said this was his fifth time doing “Murph.” 

“We do the workout, obviously because of who the guy was,” he said. “We enjoy painful workouts. A lot of the CrossFit workouts are named after people who died while serving in the military. It brings us together as a community and it means a lot to us.”

Franky Edwards, 40, of Tyler, was not able to complete the workout under his goal time of 46 minutes, but said he does the workout because he has three kids and to beat Father Time.

“I didn’t serve, but I do this to honor everyone who did,” Edwards said. “It’s a way to give back. I’m very privileged and honored to do it.”

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