People think of Memorial Day as the official start of summer, grilling, fun and a few days off of work, however, Memorial Day is really the day set aside to honor America’s war dead. This morning in the Milbank High School Armory that is just what happened. Homage was paid to the men and women who died while wearing the cloth of this great nation. The colors and memorial wreaths were posted by many local organizations including: the Birch-Miller Post 9 American Legion and Auxiliary, the Grant County VFW Post 3486 and Auxiliary, the 740th Transportation Company, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 19, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1054 and the Knights of Columbus.
Commander Charles Layher led the crowd in the pledge of Allegiance. The 8th grade band under the direction of Susan Karels played the Star Spangled Banner. Chaplain Curt Hallberg had the group bow their heads in prayer before Wayne VanHout gave his heartfelt speech. The VFW Post firing squad saluted the dead as Taps filled the armory.The retiring of the colors ended the program. As the crowd left many remembered it’s not a patriotic celebration of military might, but a remembrance of the over one million casualties of all our wars who never made it home.
Staff Writer
No comments so far.
Be first to leave comment below.