Port Huron will honor trio of soldiers at park monument
By Barb Pert Templeton
Ceremonies for Memorial Day are planned across St. Clair County on Monday, May 27 and many include parades and special programs.
In Port Huron a parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Quay Street in front of the Zebra Bar and end at Pine Grove Park where the names of three fallen heroes will be added to the Grand Army of the St. Clair County War Memorial.
Soldiers from St. Clair County who were killed in action during wartime are honored on the monument.
The Veterans Memorial Monument at Pine Grove Park in Port Huron.
Retired, Director of Veterans Services for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Michigan Daniel J. Crocker provided some background on the Memorial Tablet Monument at Pine Grove, Crocker said the first one was constructed with wood in the 1940’s by the local Rotary Club to honor WWI and WWII veterans. A larger marble version was formally dedicated in the city in 1948 and moved to several different locations before being placed at Pine Grove in 1968.
A research project began in 2014 to reconstruct the unrecoverable historical records to identify the names that are engraved in the tablets at Pine Grove Park. Research was done with information from all the cemeteries in St. Clair County, Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com.
In Harbor Beach a parade goes through downtown, ending at Memorial Park with a solemn service.
“Since research began, we have been able to identify each and every one of these warriors, by their branch of service, the date and location they paid for our freedom, and where their final
resting places are located around the world,” Crocker said.
When this project began over a decade ago there were 538 names on the tablets. Beginning in 2019 through 2023, 61names have been added from WWI, WWII, Korea, VN and the Gulf War as a result of this research.
The three more warriors that will be added this year brings the additional names to 64 since 2019.
“There are now 602 names on the tablets with a rich history of courage and heroism,” Crocker said.
The names on the tablets are not necessarily listed in alphabetic order but by the point in time in history when they were discovered as a casualty, he added.
This Research Project and Ed Weichsler of the Blue Water Banner Project, work in concert to honor the fallen to ensure that no one is left behind while the Banner Project puts a face with the name.
Some Goldstar family members and relatives attend the event each year, Crocker said.
A parade will step off at 10 a.m. in Marine City and make its way to Waterworks Park for a brief ceremony.
The three warriors that will be added to the tablets this Memorial Day are:
WWI
Private John A. McMillian was born in Emmett, Michigan on September 6, 1886.
He was killed in action on October 4, 1918, in the European Theater of Operation.
He was serving with the 16th Infantry,1st Division, of the United States Army.
He is buried in Kenockee Cemetery in Emmett, Michigan.
WW II
Lieutenant Harry Pearce, Jr. was born in Port Huron, Michigan on March 24, 1920.
He died of wounds on January 14, 1945, while piloting a B-17 Bomber in Germany.
He served with the heavy 369th Bomber Squadron, 306th Bomber Group, Army Air Corps as a 1st Lt.
He is buried in the American Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium.
Sergeant Matthew M. Schemer was born in Riley Center (Township) St. Clair County,
Michigan on February 24, 1923.
He was killed in action on August 27,1945, On Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
He served in the 502 Bomb Group as a B-29 Gunner Army Air Corps.
He is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Information for Memorial Day Ceremonies across our area:
Algonac
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Waterfront Park – Algonac at St. Clair River Drive
Note: Memorial service at the monument and flags at Waterfront Park in Algonac.
Contact: Algonac VFW Fred Quandt Post 3901
Marine City
Time: 10:00 am
Place: Marine City – Water Works Park on Water Street
Note: Parade will go down Broadway St., turning onto Main St., looping back to Water St. A memorial service will take place at the end of the parade at Water Works Park.
Marysville
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Marysville Veteran’s Memorial Park
1485 River Rd. in Marysville,
Note: Parade route will go down Huron Blvd., turn onto River Rd. and end at Veteran’s Memorial Park where a ceremony will take place.
Port Huron
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Downtown Port Huron – Military Street to Quay Street to Pine Grove Park
Note: Honor our hometown heroes who died while serving in the U.S. military by attending the Port Huron Memorial Day Parade. Spectators should line Military St. from Quay St. to Pine Grove Park. Parade ends at Pine Grove Park where two fallen hero names will be added to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial.
Veterans welcome to join the parade: Walk in the parade by arriving at the staging area on Quay St. near the Zebra Lounge at 9:30am. Parade kicks off at 11:00 a.m.
Contact: (810) 989-6945
St. Clair
Time: 1:00 pm
Place: Memorial Park
N. Riverside Ave. in St. Clair
Note: Parade starts at 1 pm, followed by a ceremony at Memorial Park. Presented by American Legion Post #382
Contact: American Legion #382
Phone: (810) 329-2871
Beyond St. Clair County:
Caseville
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: Caseville Harbor Dock Street in Caseville
Note: Blessing of the Fleet, Caseville Municipal Harbor, Monday, May 29, 10 a.m.
Veteran’s Memorial Service, Caseville Cemetery, 11:30 a.m.
Harbor Beach
Time: 10:00 am
Place: Memorial Park – Harbor Beach at 105 N. Huron Ave. in Harbor Beach
Note: Join the community in honoring our fallen while fighting for our freedom. Parade is through downtown, ending at Memorial Park for the service.
Lexington
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Main Street and the Cemetery on Main Street in Lexington
Note: Memorial Day parade and ceremony honoring those who died serving in the U.S. military.
