A day of remembrance

Mayor Joe Marine expressed the feelings of people throughout the nation when he described Memorial Day as not just a holiday but a call to remembrance, and a moment when people set aside their daily routines to recognize those who laid down their lives to protect freedom.

Marine spoke before a gathering of veterans and community members at Mukilteo’s Memorial Day ceremony Monday morning at Pioneer Cemetery.

Marine said that Memorial Day should also be more than just a time of reflection.

“It must also be a time for commitment, commitment to supporting the families left behind, commitment to caring for our veterans. Not just in words, but through our actions. And commitment to ensuring future generations understand the meaning, not just as a page in a textbook, but as a lived responsibility.”

Mukilteo is proud of its ongoing efforts to support veterans and military families, Marine said. A new initiative could build upon the foundation.

“Soon, the City Council will be considering passing a resolution adopting the USS John Paul Jones through the Navy’s Adopt-A-Ship program, in partnership with other local community organizations,” Marine said. “The tradition is meant to foster goodwill, support, and mutual appreciation between the community and the men and women who serve on the ship. To those currently serving in our Armed Forces, we see you. We thank you, and we stand behind you.”

In her opening remarks, emcee Margaret Summitt of the Mukilteo Historical Society praised the City for helping to preserve the legacy of the people buried in Pioneer Cemetery.

“I want to thank the City of Mukilteo for applying adhesives to the gravestones that were loose and knocked over by tree limbs,” Summitt said. “This day, this year, as in all previous years, we honor those buried as pioneers of Mukilteo. The cemetery was in use between 1873 and about 1918, and you can count the number of veterans in the cemetery on the fingers of one hand.”

Pioneer Cemetery is the final resting place of a diverse population. Summitt noted there are people buried from all over the U.S. and the world, including New England, the Puget Sound area, natives of this area, Japan, Norway, England, and French Canada.

The first person buried in the cemetery was Capt. Nathanial Fowler, the older brother of Mukilteo pioneer Jacob Fowler. Nathanial took part in the battle of Antietam in 1862, which remains the deadliest single-day battle in American military history, with over 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing.

“We are especially honored to gather here at Pioneer Cemetery, where the headstones tell the stories of Mukilteo’s earliest residents, among them veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and other conflicts that helped shape the world we live in,” Marine said. “These grounds are more than just a place of rest. They are a living chapter of our community’s history and its ongoing respect for those who served.

“As we stand in this quiet space surrounded by reminders of our past, we are called to consider the cost of freedom. We are reminded that every name, every flag placed gently at a grave site, represents a life of purpose, sacrifice, and love for country.”

Marine encouraged the attendees to carry forward the memory of the country’s fallen heroes not only in their hearts but in their actions.

“Let their courage inspire us to be better neighbors, better citizens, and a better community.”