THROOP - For Vietnam veteran Tom Galvin, to walk through a town cemetery is to “walk through the hallways of time,” with headstones of people who contributed to the community, and a handful of those bearing the names of individuals who died young for the sake their country.

“Among all those monuments, I see headstones that tell of lives cut short,” said Galvin, a member of the 26th Infantry Regiment Association, at a memorial service Sunday in Pine Hill Cemetery. “Those are soldiers. Those are soldiers who grew up here, but they didn't die here.”

As Galvin spoke, he stood behind the headstone and memorial for Robert F. Stryker, a soldier who grew up in Throop and went on to serve in the Vietnam War. Stryker was killed in November 1967 after he threw himself on a Claymore mine as it was about to explode, an action that saved six of his fellow soldiers.

In 2004, the AmVets Post 513 dedicated a memorial stone in Pine Hill Cemetery in Throop for Stryker, which lists his honors, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Memorial Day weekend service in Throop began two years ago during the dedication ceremony and continues as a way to honor all veterans.

Like Galvin, Stryker also served in the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, but the two never met. Still, Galvin encouraged everyone on Memorial Day to find the headstone of a young soldier, in between the picnics and parades, and remember the soldier's sacrifice.

“I know the area he died, in a God-forsaken piece of jungle,” Galvin said, of Stryker. “(We should) teach our children the value of what he did.”

Stryker was two days short of his 24th birthday when he was killed.

At Sunday's ceremony, Rev. Paul Freemesser said a prayer for all deceased veterans and at the beginning of the ceremony made mention of the recent deaths of four Fort Drum soldiers in Iraq.

Also at the ceremony were members of the color guards of military organizations in Auburn and the county. Veterans of various organizations made up a firing squad, which fired three rounds into the sky. The firing squad was followed by a performance of 'Taps' played by Eric Howell.

AmVets commander Del Jenner read a poem written by a young soldier and encouraged people to remember the sacrifice of deceased veterans.

“All veterans, especially those who have seen combat, belong in a special category, you might even say an elite group,” Jenner said. “We must always remember those who fought for our freedom, regardless of the place and time.”

Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net