"This is a life that once you are in it, you never leave it, because it really does take a special person to be a submariner," Stewart of Bellwood in Blair County said at Sunday's observance. "These types of ceremonies are so important because we really need to appreciate our veterans and the sacrifices they made. Freedom is not free."
Stewart, 72, and other veterans and submariners gathered with dozens of onlookers for the ceremony outside the Carnegie Science Center, where the Requin is docked on the Ohio River.
The Beaver County Stearman Association performed a flyover with a vintage Stearman World War II-era biplane, and Requin veterans tolled a bell once while reading the names of submariners lost at sea. Veterans cast wreaths of flowers into the river from the submarine, and flowers were given to onlookers to toss from shore.
The Marine Corps color guard from Three Rivers Leatherneck Detachment 310 in McCandless performed a 21-gun salute.
Stephanie and Ed Kremmel of Shaler said they began coming to the Requin ceremony about four years ago and have made it a regular part of their Memorial Day weekend plans.
"It's a very moving ceremony," Stephanie Kremmel said. "It's nice way to show your support and respect."
Huey Dietrich of Glenshaw served on the USS Henry Clay while in the Navy between 1962 and 1965 and is now a part of the U.S. Submarine Veterans, based at the Requin. He said it's important to hold veterans' ceremonies and give tours of the submarine year-round, to continue telling the stories of the men who served onboard.
"The young kids today — they don't know anything about submarines or the wars that were fought around them," Dietrich said. "They have a lot of questions, and it's up to us to answer them. This is our history and our military."
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