From left, Michelle White, with the Eyes of Freedom monument; Harry Deibler, a Navy corpsman who served in the Marine Corps’ Lima company; Marietta Army Reserve veteran Jared Smith; and Vienna Marine Corps veteran Bernie Lyons stand beside a guard after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Aug. 29 in Arlington National Cemetery. (Photo Provided)

VIENNA — Two local veterans recently got a chance to pay their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in a very memorable way.

Vienna resident Bernie Lyons, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Reserves, and Marietta resident Jared Smith, who served in the Army Reserves, were invited to place a wreath at the monument, which serves as a symbolic grave for all war dead whose remains have not been found or identified.

“It was one of the most humbling moments of my life, to honor those who gave their lives, even their names, for our freedoms,” Smith said.

They were asked at a local event earlier this year by Bill Kaemmer, executive director of the Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation, which promotes interfaith cooperation, selfless service, and unity in diversity in honor of four military chaplains who gave their lives while helping others abandon a ship sinking after a torpedo attack in World War II.

“We just about passed out at the opportunity,” Lyons said.

They laid the wreath on behalf of the Marine Corps Veterans Association. Included in their group were Michelle White, executive director of strategic development for the Eyes of Freedom traveling memorial honoring the members of an Ohio-based Marines Corps company killed in Iraq, and Harry Deibler, a surviving Navy corpsman from the unit. White had been at the event where Kaemmer extended the invitation, having worked with local residents to help bring the Silent Battle and POW/MIA memorials to Marietta’s Gold Star Park.

They placed the wreath at the Tomb on Aug. 29, the anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps Reserve.

“It didn’t really hit you ’til the guard came up the steps,” Lyons said. “He guides you down. It didn’t really become real until he came up the steps and asked if we were ready.”

Smith said the experience was even more special because his 8-year-old son Gunner was able to attend.

“He was watching what sacrifice, respect and service looks like,” Smith said. “That moment was about passing on the torch, was about remembrance, ensuring the next generation understands the cost of freedom.”

Afterward, they were given a tour of the guards’ quarters.

“For some reason, the guards took a liking to us as a group,” Lyons said.

The next day, they visited the graves of six members of Lima Company buried at the cemetery.

“We went to their gravesites and left a Marine Corps flag and a challenge coin and a penny, because we didn’t know or serve with them, so that’s what you do, you leave a penny,” Lyons said.

They also paid their respects at the graves of Army Spc. Christian Ward, a soldier from Lowell who died in a 2019 military helicopter crash, and Lyons’ cousin, Lt. Col. Donald Granahan.