MONDAY WAS a somber Memorial Day for sisters Molly Darling and Wendy Lotz, who lost both of their parents late last year, but came to the ceremony at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Manchester to honor their memory.

They each accepted a rose on behalf of their parents, Wells Darling and Mary Will Darling of Exeter, who were 96 and 94, respectively. Both parents had served in the Navy. The sisters said they hope their mom and dad will be remembered for the joy they had for life and how they passed it on to their family.

The family will hold a ceremony at sea for their parents next month.

“They had a good, long life. They deserve to lay in peace together,” Wendy Lotz said.

Outside the VA Hospital, with its boarded-up windows for construction during an expansion project, the sisters said they hope all veterans get the care they need and are remembered for their sacrifice.

“I think we can do more for them and not take away what they already have,” Molly Darling said.

Their parents were among the 114 veterans who died in the last year whose names were read aloud during a service attended by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais.

“We are holding close to our hearts nearly 400 family members who are with us today, who have lost a loved one over the past year, who gave their all to our country,” said Julie Vose, the interim medical center director for the Manchester VA. “On this Memorial Day, let us pledge not only to remember the fallen, but to live lives worthy of their sacrifice. Let us support one another as a community. Let us speak their names and let us ensure that their legacy continues.”

Ayotte shared a personal story about her grandfather, who served in World War II.

“He lived to be the age of 98 and spent his last days at this center. He was treated with dignity and respect, and we will never forget the caregivers who took care of him here. And we thank them. We thank every caregiver here for honoring our veterans and their sacrifice every single day,” said Ayotte, a Nashua Republican.

Ayotte spoke not just of the sacrifice of those lost in combat, but those who never came home or came home and died here after their service.

“They came from different backgrounds. They came from different states. They came from different ways of life. But they all came together for this great cause of our country, and united, they showed us what patriotism means,” Ayotte said. “And to each family member who has lost someone today, thank you.”

Goodlander, a Nashua Democrat who served as an intelligence officer in the Navy for more than a decade, spoke of her father, Ted Goodlander, also a Navy veteran.

“He taught me that when you love something, you fight for it, and that is exactly what the extraordinary Americans we honor today did,” she said, adding, “Memory is one of the most powerful forces, but ultimately, the most powerful force the world has ever known is love. And that is what the men and women who we honor today did. They loved our country so much that they were willing to put their lives on the line for it. We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.”

Ruais, an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and a Manchester Republican, praised the staff at the VA for the compassion and comfort they provide for veterans and also saluted families for their dedication.

“In honoring these fallen heroes, let us also extend our support and compassion to their families and those families we have here with us today. Their resilience is a testament to the enduring spirit of our nation,” Ruais said.

Pappas, a Manchester Democrat, spoke about the legacy of Pfc. Kenneth Roland Day of Danville, who died in the days following The D-Day Invasion. Day was posthumously awarded the Silver Star after saving his squad leader from enemy fire. Pappas also honored Maine Lance Cpl. Adam Brooks, who graduated from Manchester High School Central in 2003. Brooks was killed in 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“He was killed when a bomb exploded next to his Humvee in November of 2004 while patrolling in Baghdad,” Pappas said. “Adam was 20 years old and earlier that day, he spoke on the phone with his wife, Ashley. It was their six-month anniversary. Stories like these of individual courage, of selflessness, of tragedy number more than 1.3 million throughout American history.”

VA upgrades
The VA Hospital in Manchester has several construction projects in the works that will improve the health care services they provide for New Hampshire veterans, Vose said.

“We have a new, state-of-the-art lab we’re going to finish by the end of the year, and then we have a whole area for the women’s health project. They’re going to have their own suite, their own entrance and their own area to have wrap-around care all in the same area of the hospital,” Vose said.

She said the New Hampshire VA just celebrated more than 30,000 enrollees in programs and has continued its outreach to help even more.