Mountain Lake Memorial Day program honored these American heroes
Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. – Eleanor Roosevelt.
For many men and women – often young – that responsibility is in the form of military service. And, with that responsibility, some gave all in order to protect this nation and its freedoms.
A Mountain Lake Memorial Day program was held this morning (Monday, May 29), in the Mountain Lake Public High School Auditorium. The featured speaker was Second District American Legion Commander Mark A. Coney of Hardwick.
In his remarks, Commander Coney noted that, from the Revolutionary War to the current War On Terrorism, more than 1.1 million American heroes in service to this country paid with the ultimate sacrifice – their lives. He also shared that many others died carrying out humanitarian missions. “Let us live up to their sacrifices,” Coney conlcuded.
The colors were posted by Mountain Lake American Legion Post #389 members Bill Fast and Jim Crawford. Additional Color Honor Guard members included Bob Minion, Bruce Fallk, Jerry Logue, Harvey Buller and Wennis Franz.
The annual Memorial Day program is conducted by Post #389. The Mountain Lake American Legion began in the early 1930s with 17 charter members.
Providing the program’s Opening Prayer and Closing Prayer was Pastor David Savage of Center Point Church of Mountain Lake.
The Mountain Lake Public High School Senior High Band, led by Mountain Lake Public School Instrumental Director Kurt Jahnke, presented “The National Anthem;” “Spirit of Ameica,” arranged by Allen Gray and “At Sight March,” by Harold Bennett. Jahnke played “Taps” on the trumpet to close the program.
Danica Dick, a 2017 graduate of Mountain Lake Christian (MLC), shared “The Gettsburg Address,” by President Abraham Lincoln. A 2016 MLC grad, Josh Raabe, read “Flanders Field,” a war poem written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.
Serving as program emcee was post member Mike Nelson.
Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance for all who have died serving in the American Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines). The holiday, originally known as Decoration Day (named as such because the graves of the dead were decorated), began after the Civil War to honor the Union and Confederate deceased. It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress.
Below is a photo gallery from the program:
