Plenty of opportunities to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day
On Monday, people across the nation will honor veterans who have given their lives in service to their country.
Memorial Day is a day to remember veterans who have passed away.
“The actual meaning of Memorial Day has been lost,” Warren County DAV Chapter 75 Commander Dick McCorrison said. According to “Gen. (John A.) Logan’s Orders, it was a day for people to put flowers on the graves of soldiers that had died in the Civil War.”
“It was originally for people that never came back from the battlefield,” McCorrison said.
Over the years, the meaning has changed slightly and it is a chance for people to honor all veterans who have died. McCorrison would like people to think of veterans on Memorial Day instead of thinking only in terms of sales and picnics and a day off from work and school.
“I encourage the people to come to the services to honor the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice and those who returned from the field of battle to live our their lives in peace and have passed,” he said. “We’d like to get as many people out to attend as possible.”
Although McCorrison and DAV are in charge of the ceremony on the Warren County Courthouse steps, it is not important to him which ceremony residents choose to attend. There are several in and around the county. “The responsibility for the ceremonies is shared by the service organizations,” he said. “It’s a function of the United Veterans Council.”
The service at the courthouse will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, and there are Monday services in:
Sugar Grove — 11 a.m. in the park;
Tidioute — parade from the VFW to the cemetery starts at 10;
Youngsville — 10 a.m. at the American Legion Post;
Sheffield — 10 a.m. at the playground;
Russell — 10 a.m. at Pine Grove Cemetery (Praise! Fellowship in case of rain); and
Ludlow — 11:30 a.m. at Gibbs Hill Cemetery.
The Clarendon service will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the VFW.
“At our service, we will read the names of every veteran from Warren County that we know of that has passed,” McCorrison said. “We try to honor every veteran that has fallen. Everybody made a sacrifice to be in the military.”
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