In somber black, Laurie Rondou and her husband Pat wandered through a field of white tombstones Monday at Fort Logan National Cemetery, searching for the final resting place of a young man they never met.
The couple — parents of an Army Reserve soldier now serving in Afghanistan — bore a bouquet of red roses and a note of support for the family of fallen Cpl. Benjamin Hoeffner, a member of their son’s Aurora-based unit who died in 2005 at age 21.
“Our son was in California when this soldier died, but it’s his unit,” Parker schoolteacher Laurie Rondou said, explaining the bond that unites military families. “People at school, they don’t understand. But every once in awhile, you find a family that has someone serving or someone who’s served themselves, and they understand.”
The Rondous joined hundreds of families, veterans and dignitaries gathered at the cemetery under a darkening sky for Memorial Day ceremonies to remember and honor America’s servicemen and women.
Proceedings included a rendition of taps, a rifle salute, the release of white doves and speeches from Gov. Bill Ritter and military representatives.
After the official ceremony, many held their own, private remembrances among the fields of graves.
Denver salesman Wally Strehlow knelt in the damp grass to carefully arrange a bouquet of purple flowers at the grave of his World War II veteran father, his mother and a sister. He comes often to the cemetery, as the not-yet-wilted offering from his Mother’s Day visit proves.
“Everyone here has given something for our freedom. It amazes me how big it is. It’s terrible and amazing,” Streh low said.
A few rows away, Martin Gash sat for 15 minutes at the feet of his dead father, a “hard-nosed” man and former airman. He pointed out the difference between the honors bestowed on fallen soldiers and the treatment many vets who have become homeless receive.
“We have to honor those who serve our country,” Gash said. “A lot of them end up on the streets or in nursing homes that don’t want to care for them. It’s a shame.”
And at marker 5461-A, the Rondous finally found the man they came to honor. Just before a light rain began to fall, the couple left their note and roses for the Hoeffners to find on their next visit.
“We just want them to know we’re thinking of their family,” Laurie Rondou said.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
