Under sunny skies, people gathered in downtown Petoskey on Memorial Day to mourn U.S. military members who have died in service.
A parade featuring local veterans and the Petoskey High School Marching Band led the crowd to Pennsylvania Park for the remembrance ceremony.
Tony Hogrefe, director of Petoskey’s American Legion Riders, said they had gathered today for “our brothers and sisters who didn’t return with us.”
“Some of these people attending with us here today may not realize what it can take for us to acknowledge the fallen, the comrades, the battle buddies, the brothers and the sisters that we think of on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. Today is heavy with remembrance,” he said. “Today we not only honor the fallen, but the families who have carried the weight of that sacrifice ever since. The Gold Star families know the cost of freedom that most Americans can only imagine.”
Eric Kessler, commander of the Carl. O Weaver Post 194 of the American Legion, noted that more than 1.1 million Americans have died defending their country since the Revolutionary War.
“They each have stories to tell,” he said. “The crosses at Normandy, the graves at Arlington, the markers at Punchbowl, the fallen heroes who rest in places unknown. We are here for them.”
The ceremony included live music by Petoskey students, a reading of “In Flanders Field” by Alanson junior Royce Jacobs, a rifle salute, the playing of Taps and the reading of names of fallen veterans from Emmet County.
The day also marked the First Annual Cpl. Michael Lindemuth Memorial Ride, organized by the American Legion Riders. Lindemuth, 27, died on April 13, 2005 while serving in Iraq. His family was in attendance at Petoskey’s ceremony.
— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey commemorates Memorial Day
Reporting by Jillian Fellows, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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