Fort Moore holds annual Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen soldier

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Honoring those who pay the ultimate sacrifice is the goal of Fort Moore during the installation’s annual Memorial Day ceremony.

Gold Star family members like Mary Kubik understand freedom is not free.

“I lost my brother Sgt. Ronald Kubik in Afghanistan on April 23, 2010,” said Mary Kubik.

The price is steep, but some, like Mary’s brother, pay it without being asked. She says for her, Memorial Day isn’t about the cookouts or getting a day off. It’s about honoring fallen service members.

“When he died, they described him as a ranger’s ranger. He was just someone who would give you his shirt and not going around telling everyone he gave you his shirt.”

The Kubik family’s story resembles the stories of many Gold Star families—military families who share the pain of losing a loved one in combat. Their story of duty and sacrifice often resemble, but on Memorial Day, they never go overlooked by leaders like Fort Moore’s Commanding General, Major General Curtis Buzzard.

“It’s important to remember, but it’s also important to use that sacrifice as a sense of motivation and renewed purpose,” said Buzzard.

Finding her renewed purpose and recently relocating to Columbus, Mary Kubik now spends her days trying to get closer to her brother and his legacy while finding her way in the community he once was a part of.

“To be where he was and to know he walked these grounds, he rucked here. He did all the obstacle courses. I’ve done a few here, just not as well, but just because I know that he had to do them while he was here. And just being able to be connected to this community because the ranger regiment is such family has meant the world to me.”

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