Honoring our fallen

Master Chief Bevard

By Sarah Shurge – Memorial Day is a federal holiday for honoring and mourning the courageous men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. military.
On Tuesday, May 20th, a Memorial Day service was held inside City Hall. Steven Thomas, started the ceremony by playing the National Anthem on his saxophone and closed the ceremony by playing America the Beautiful.
Bobby Kelly, CrossePointe Community Church Lead Pastor, led the crowd in an opening prayer and Seth MacDonald, Hillcrest Bible Church Lead Pastor, led the crowd in a closing prayer.
Wayne Mayor John Rhaesa gave a speech and introduced the featured speaker, Master Chief Avionics Technician (Naval Aircrewman) Carol Bevard. Bevard has been a Wayne resident since 1978. She spends her time volunteering with numerous organizations in the City of Wayne including the Rotary Club of Wayne, where she has held the title of Rotary President since October 2021, and CrossPointe Community Church, as the Women’s Ministry Director.
Bevard comes from a military family, where her dad, brother, and six uncles served in the Army. Bevard joined the Navy in May 1975 and served our country for 30 years (three years active duty and 27 years of reserve duty). Bevard’s initial training took place at Recruit Training Command in Orlando, Florida and her first duty station was Fleet Logistics Support Squadron-21 (VR-21) at Naval Air Station Barber’s Point, Hawaii.
During Deep Water Survival Training and Aircrew Training, Bevard achieved the squadron’s first female C-118 Loadmaster in August 1976. This represented a historic breakthrough for female service members in the Navy. Eventually, Bevard transferred to Naval Air Station Miramar, California. Then in August 1978, she began her 27-year Naval Reserve career with multiple commands at Naval Air Facility Detroit, Selfridge Michigan. She re-qualified as a Loadmaster during her time with VR-52, VR-24 and VR-62, and flew numerous missions to Europe, accumulating over 500 flight hours.
In June 1991, she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University.
Her final command was Naval Air Station Sigonella 0192. Here, Bevard served as Command Career Counselor, Antiterrorist Force Protection Instructor, Training Department Chief, and Quality Assurance Senior Chief. After attending the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy, Bevard was promoted to Command Master Chief. She retired as the Command Master Chief in December 2005, after 30 years of Naval Service.
During her Memorial Day speech, Bevard shared a story about an officer she encountered during her time of service. In June 2005, an officer asked Bevard (he wanted to speak to a seasoned sailor) about the advantages of re-enlisting. Being that he was close to 20-years of service, Bevard encouraged him to re-enlist. And so he did.
Three years after their talk, he was recalled to fight a war in Afghanistan and on June 18, 2008, he died of his wounds from an enemy attack. He was 37 years old. Bevard teared up as she recounted the story.
“The true hero is the military veteran, the police officer, the fire fighter, and others who risk their lives daily and often lose their lives protecting and defending us,” said Bevard. “The heroes we honor today are not exclusive to any gender, race, or religion. They come from all economic classes and backgrounds. They hail from all 50 states. And some have migrated from other countries. They are a diverse group, welded to believe that America is a nation worth dying for.”
On Sunday, May 25th, a heartfelt parade marched through the streets and a ceremony was held at Wayne’s Veteran’s Memorial Garden of Westland. Pastor MacDonald led the opening prayer at the Memorial Day event. Mayor Rhaesa and Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman were the featured speakers.
We thank Master Chief Bevard and all the other veterans for their service, and we honor those that have laid down their lives for ours.