Members from the community gathered for the Forest Rotary Club’s 8th annual Field of Honor Event on Sept. 7 to view more than 1,200 American flags displayed on the grassy fields of Automated Conveyor Systems at 6 Millrace Dr.
The event, free to the public, honored military personnel, law enforcement officers and other notable heroes. The speaker lineup included an opening by Rotary Club of Forest President Dale Reed, an invocation by Lynchburg Fire Department Chaplain Wayne Lanham, a speech from Legacy Wealth Management Old Glory Sponsor Branden Bosch and a keynote speech from City of Lynchburg Fire Chief Gregory Wormser. Reed also said the rot ary club would give the Forest Fire Department a $3,000 donation to thank the volunteer firefighters for their hard work.
Reed, who has been a member for over six years, took over as president of the Forest Rotary Club in July. He said a group of 50 volunteers on Friday worked to construct all of the flags. Once the flags were put together, he said 40 different organizations and 140 volunteers set up the flags on the field in under an hour. Reed said one of the reasons he is passionate about this event is because it pays tribute to the stories of several heroes.
“I am a veteran myself. I retired out of the Air Force after 25 years, and this is such a great field to honor our current (heroes), and if people have passed … whether they are a military veteran or … first responder or medical professionals, this is a great way to honor their current service or their past service,” Reed said.
He also said this event ties in with the Rotary Club’s emphasis on serving and helping build others up in the community. He cited the Forest Library’s playground, the only public playground in the town, as being one example of how the club aims to help the community since the club sponsors it.
“For the rotary club, one of our mottos is ‘service above self,’ and so this … field helps us kickoff as a fundraiser where we get to serve the community again,” Reed said.
Renae Adrian, the chair for the Field of Honor committee, said her role in organizing the event is to “wrangle the troops” and coordinate the details for the ceremony with the club’s 40 volunteer members.
As a military spouse, Adrian explained how the flags symbolize individual people and that she has flags out on the field that represent several of her family members who served in the military. She also said community sponsors will purchase flags on the field to represent one of their loved ones who either served in the military, law enforcement or healthcare.
Following Bosch’s speech about service members’ sacrifices and respecting the flag, Wormser addressed the audience. Since 1995, Wormser has worked for the Lynchburg Fire Department and has held several roles before stepping into his current role as chief of the fire department.
“It is my honor to stand before you today, a place where each flag represents not only the fabric of our nation, but the sacrifice, the service and the selflessness of those who have carried its colors forward,” Wormser said.
He urged the audience to consider the individual sacrifices represented by the flags. He urged the audience to consider the individual sacrifices represented by the flags.
“When you look across this sea of red, white and blue, you see more than just flags, as Branden pointed out earlier. You see stories. Stories of men and women who chose service above self, stories of sacrifice on battlefields far from home,” Wormser said.
After Wormser’s speech, Adrian took the stage and Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Michael Reeves sounded taps. The Lynchburg American Legion Post 16 Honor Guard returned to retire the colors, and Reed concluded the event with a final speech.
The club will host a 9/11 Sunset Ceremony Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Field of Honor. The flags will be on display until Sept. 19.
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