Community members and resident veterans alike gathered in the Silver Bay Veterans’ Home parking lot on May 29th to commemorate Memorial Day. All were reminded that Memorial Day is a day of commemoration, not celebration because it is a day in which we honor, reflect, and remember the lives of our service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Greeting the guests and residents were members of the American Heritage Girls MN2931 with cards and flags. A welcome table complete with programs and flags was provided by the Veterans Home, and music played in the background.
Chaplain Chris Belfield, chaplain of both American Legion Post #109 and the Silver Bay Veterans’ Home and retired United States Air Force Major, opened the service with prayer.
Following prayer, Volunteer Service Coordinator Randall Walz proceeded with opening remarks,and introduced Silver Bay Mayor LeBlanc. Walz commented on and thanked LeBlanc for his faithful support of the Silver Bay Veterans’ Home.
Mayor Wade LeBlanc led the audience in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. He shared how his understanding of what our U.S. military veterans did for him grew as he got older. Mayor LeBlanc says that the impact of their service really hit home recently, when his cousin, a Vietnam veteran, passed away.
After Mayor LeBlanc’s speech, Julie Luchsinger and Randall Walz honored those veterans at the Silver Bay Veterans’ Home who had passed away in the last year. While Luchsinger read the names of the veterans, Walz tolled a bell once for each name mentioned. Among those mentioned were men who fought on the land, air, and sea in countries from Germany to China.
The service concluded with a flag presentation and taps by the American Legion Honor Guard, and a prayer by Chaplain Belfield.
On Memorial Day in 1982, then-President Ronal Reagan said, “As we honor their [those who gave their lives] memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor, shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation.” As Mayor LeBlanc said, often we forget the true meaning of Memorial Day. Teaching children about Memorial Day is one way to ensure that our veterans’ sacrifices are not forgotten.
