Events to honor fallen warriors

Wednesday, May 20, 1998 | 10:14 a.m.

The lack of an ocean coastline in Southern Nevada has not stopped the Fleet Reserve Association from properly remembering dead sailors over water on Memorial Day.

Branch 90 of the Fleet Reserve Association will honor departed shipmates of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard in a flotilla of boats on Lake Mead at 9 a.m. Monday, continuing a local tradition that began in the late 1970s.

The "two-bell ceremony" is one of several veterans events planned for Saturday and Monday when Las Vegans will attend solemn gatherings to remember those who gave their lives fighting to preserve their country and free the world from oppression.

"The two-bell ceremony represents the buoys rocking at sea," said Richard Law, treasurer and past president of Branch 90. "It is a ritual from our book -- modified just a little because we have a lake and not an ocean."

The 20-minute ceremony starts on land, where folks will board private boats and other vessels provided by the U.S. Power Squadron. Representatives from veterans groups, including Branch 279 of the Fleet Reserve Association, will join event organizers at Hole 33 at the Las Vegas Wash Marina.

As part of the ceremony, the names of the FRA members who died during the last year "received orders to serve on the staff of the Supreme Commander" will be read, Law said, noting that just one Fleet 90 member and one auxiliary member died last year.

The Chaparral High School NROTC will unfurl the colors.

Some veterans groups are using Memorial Day to remind people of how ex-warriors continually battle to receive fair treatment from the government.

A case in point is the Retired Officers Association in Alexandria, Va., which is urging its members to speak out about the 700,000 Medicare-eligible military retirees who they say are being "locked out" of the military's health care system.

"Military people were told they would have military health care for life when they served for a 20- or 30-year career, (but) those aged 65 and over are finding that's not true," said Marv Harris, spokesman for the organization.

"The government has broken its commitment to these retired veterans. They are the same ones who won the hot and cold wars and consequently saved the nation billions in defense dollars."

However it is expected that a great many local veterans groups will put aside their differences with the government to remember their fallen comrades at ceremonies in Henderson, Las Vegas and Boulder City: