Memorial Day Ceremony Will Honor Liberty High School Alumni Who Died in Afghanistan

Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens’ will host an annual Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 27, at 10 a.m. in the Circle of the Immortals, to honor Marylanders killed in Afghanistan since May 2012.

Honored at this ceremony will be Liberty High School and West Point alumni Sara Marie Cullen, 27, an Army captain who was killed in Afghanistan on March 11. 

According West Point, Cullen was killed during a training mission on board a Black Hawk helicopter and there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of her death.

Monday, April 16 flags were flown at half-staff across Maryland in honor of Capt. Cullen.

Cullen, whose maiden name was Knutson, graduated from Liberty High School in 2003 and went on to study law at West Point, graduating in 2007.  She married a former Black Hawk pilot and Cullen and her husband were both deployed to Afghanistan in 2013.

Cullen had been assigned to headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.  She had previously served at Fort Wainwright in Alaska and been deployed on a humanitarian mission to Pakistan. 

Cullen is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

According to the news press release, other Maryland military members to be honored at the 2013 ceremony include:

• Marine Sgt. Julian C. Chase of Edgewater who died May 28, 2012
• Marine Lance Corporal Eugene C. Mills, III of Laurel who died June 22, 2012
• Army Staff Sgt. Daniel A. Rodriguez of Baltimore who died July 18, 2012
• Army Staff Sgt. Brandon R. Pepper of Baltimore who died July 21, 2012
• Navy Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick D. Feeks of Edgewater who died August 16, 2012
• Army Sgt. David V. Williams of Frederick who died August 18, 2012

In addition to honoring current military members, the Memorial Day Ceremony will also pay tribute to those who gave their lives in Korea, Vietnam and World War II.

The observance will include a traditional ceremony including memorial addresses by Col. Linda L. Singh, director of the Maryland National Guard Joint Staff and keynote speaker William Peneck, executive director of the Star-Spangled-200.  

Included in the ceremony will be the pageantry of the 229th Maryland Army National Guard Band, the color guard units from the Maryland National Guard, the Patriot Guard Riders, and the Elkridge Young Marines.

Also to participate will be: Col. William Sean Lee, Command Chaplain, Maryland National Guard; Catch A Lift Fund, American Flag Foundation, Inc. and Maryland Sings.

The event is free and open to the public.

See related links:

Liberty HS Alum Killed in Afghanistan

Flags Flown at Half-Staff for Eldersburg Woman Who Died in Afghanistan