Westminster Memorial Day Address Delivered by Navy SEAL Matt Shipley

After the Westminster Memorial Day parade was over, an extra-large crowd gathered at the historic urn on the knoll just inside the entrance of the Westminster Cemetery for the 145th Westminster observance of Memorial Day.

This is the spot where the historic Union Meeting House once stood in the cemetery. The Meeting House had been the focal point of many of the earlier Memorial Day observances after Mary Bostwick Shellman started the ceremonies on May 30, 1868, according to a June 4, 1868 edition of the American Sentinel – painstakingly researched by Historical Society of Carroll County historian Mimi Ashcraft.

Shellman, the 19-year-old daughter of one the earlier burgesses of Westminster, had followed General John A. Logan's May 5, 1868, General Order No. 11 — which called upon people to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with flowers.

This year, children who had participated in the parade accompanied a re-enactor portraying Shellman and placed flowers at the historic urn after the city wreath was placed by Westminster Mayor Kevin Utz and Police Chief Jeff Spalding

This year’s Memorial Day address was delivered by Navy Commander Matthew W. Shipley, who graduated from Westminster High School in 1984 and the United States Naval Academy in 1991.

Shipley served as Executive Officer of Navy Reserve Naval Special Warfare Group TWO Detachment 309, Executive Officer of SEAL Team THREE deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in 2006; and as NSWTU Commander Manda Bay, Kenya in Oct 2006 – Mar 2007

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Defense Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and various unit, campaign and service awards.

The decorated war veteran began his remarks with some of the history of Memorial Day and its origins as Decoration Day which “grew in popularity as towns across America … remembered their fallen heroes with freshly cut flowers and markers on their graves. As years passed by and America became involved in other wars, the day became a time to remember the fallen from each of our wars going back to the first, our fight for independence,” said Shipley.

Shipley then brought the loss and sacrifice of war home as he described his own sense of personal loss in Iraq. I was “the executive officer of the SEAL Team that lost the first two SEALs in Iraq and I can tell you firsthand what that meant,” shared Shipley from the heart.

He described the heroic acts of Marc Lee and Michael Monsoor, who were killed in action and Ryan Job who was wounded in combat and died 3 years later. “Petty Officer Michael Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor,” explained Shipley.

“Wars have a very real human cost and it is important that we think about that cost and all those who came before us who paid the price or those who might do the same in the future. Yet, we should not limit this to once a year; each of us needs to remember this daily, especially when we make decisions on how we choose to conduct ourselves as a society,” said Shipley.

At the conclusion of his remarks, the audience sang the National Anthem led by Jennifer Gambino and accompanied by the Westminster Municipal Band.

A salute was provided by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Moleville Farm Post #467 firing squad and the ceremony concluded with Taps and Echo by Greg Wantz and David Miller of the Westminster Municipal Band.

After the Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery concluded, Shipley spoke to a small gathering at the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial.