Photo by Rick Thompson Standing under umbrellas that afforded little protection from the driving rain, representatives from community organizations, as well as the families of three servicemen who gave their lives in the war on terror, continued an 88-year tradition by laying wreaths and praying at the Veterans Memorial in Leonardtown last Wednesday.

Ida’s looming presence was on display Tuesday morning during the USS Tulip remembrance, honoring the 47 men who died when the Union gunboat exploded Nov. 11, 1864 just off Piney Point. In the days following the explosion, eight bodies so badly mangled as to be unidentifiable washed ashore.

They were buried at the site of what is now the USS Tulip Memorial. Located near Webster Field in St. Inigoes, it is at just a half acre the smallest federal cemetery in the United States.

This was the third of what is now an annual observance, and it has grown larger in attendance each year, even though this observance took place under low-hanging grey clouds and a cold breeze.

‘‘Our intent this morning is to pay tribute to those men who have given their lives for the freedoms we have and enjoy today,” said Pax River Command Master Chief John Stigler, guest speaker at the ceremony. ‘‘They were united in a common purpose serving in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War, and thus demonstrated common values of duty, honor, courage, love of family and country, and responsibility.”

Stigler related the history of the Tulip, originally built for the Chinese Navy and weighing only 183 tons. The wooden-hulled ship was taken by the U.S. Navy because it was a necessary weapon in the Civil War.

The South had virtually no ocean-going ships, meaning that the Union Navy’s main focus would be in the rivers and bays close to shore. The Tulip drew only eight feet of water, making it ideal for this type of work.

It was assigned to the Potomac Flotilla, a fleet of small ships whose mission was to patrol the Potomac River and Upper Chesapeake Bay. The flotilla was based in St. Inigoes Creek.

‘‘This was not easy duty,” said Stigler. ‘‘Virginia, just across the Potomac River, seceded from the Union and Confederate guns placed strategically along the river kept Union ships at a distance. The Chesapeake Bay was a hotbed of smugglers and raiders.”

In time, one of the Tulip’s boilers was condemned, fouled by the brackish Potomac waters for which they were not designed. The ship was ordered to the Washington Navy Yard for repairs.

The captain was ordered not to use the fouled boiler, but, fearing that its slow speed would make the Tulip vulnerable to gunfire from Virginia, he fired up the boiler once out of signal distance. At 6:20 p.m., the boiler exploded, sinking the Tulip within minutes.

‘‘You are now present at this burial site, a naval cemetery on this bluff overlooking St. Inigoes Creek,” said Stigler. ‘‘I ask that each of us remember this crew, these Sailors, and that we continue to pass down their story.”

Ida’s remaining rains were in full force the next day, cancelling the parade and moving the formal program indoors to the Leonard Hall Drill Hall. Before it began, however, the formal wreath laying was held as planned, outdoors at the Veterans Memorial on Leonardtown’s Town Square, continuing an 88-year tradition.

Two hours later, the Veterans of Helen held their 24th Annual Veterans Day Observance, moving it indoors under a large tent near the Memorial Garden. The weather had no impact on attendance, with the tent filled to standing room only capacity.

Pax River Commanding Officer Capt. Andy Macyko was the main speaker at both events. At Leonardtown, Macyko outlined the support Pax River gives to individual augmentees and their families during the deployment cycle and noted that ‘‘each phase of the deployment cycle had unique individual and family stressors.”

He continued, ‘‘We constantly refine and improve our screening and engagement strategies for our combat veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Post-deployment screenings are ‘‘critically important to connect veterans and family members to medical services, counseling and assistance in a timely manner.”

Less than one percent of the U.S. population is in the Armed Forces, meaning there is ‘‘a real need to educate our regional community about the challenges facing our brave citizens upon their return.”

Said Macyko, ‘‘Now is the time for community stakeholders to help friends and neighbors learn more about the behavioral health needs of military members, veterans and their family members. I ask you to answer the call to be vigilant to telltale warning signs of someone who needs help, and then connect that person to the professionals that can get the help he or she needs.”

Macyko expanded on that theme at Helen, telling the audience that the War in Afghanistan is now ‘‘the longest duration conflict in U.S. history with an all-volunteer force,” and while it doesn’t affect most Americans directly, ‘‘It is impacting our society and is in our midst even here in Southern Maryland.”

St. Mary’s County has demonstrated its ‘‘strong dedication and commitment to our veterans and and the active support of our service men and women,” said Macyko. He added, however, that ‘‘Less than one percent of our population serves in the military, and it is easy to more focused on daily domestic matters.”

Attention must be paid to the psychological wounds of veterans returning from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the ‘‘invisible injuries of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.”

Since the attacks of 9⁄11, he stated, ‘‘More Armed Forces personnel have died from suicides than from combat-related fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Educators and counselors should be alert to academic and social problems of children of deployed service members. Prospective employers should know that ‘‘employment enables many people with post-traumatic stress syndrome to fully participate in society.” said Macyko.

Another fact: According to the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, ‘‘Nearly 40 percent more reserve personnel were mobilized in the years following September 11, 2001 than had been mobilized in the decade beginning with the Gulf War.”

Upon their return, veterans may have difficulties coping with stress, memory deficits, fatigue, sleep disturbances or other problems. Interaction with other employees who have not experienced deployment to a war zone can also be a concern. Employers should be alert to the situation and ‘‘put their employee in contact with the help that is available.”

Macyko concluded by repeating what he said at Leonardtown: ‘‘Be vigilant to telltale warning signs of someone who needs help, and then connect that person to the professionals that can get the help he or she needs.”