GREENFIELD — Covered under the shade of trees at Park Cemetery Monday morning, more than 150 people gathered with hands over their hearts and right hands at salute to honor the fallen veterans.
Monday’s service, the 62nd annual Memorial Day ceremony in Greenfield, gave people a chance to reflect on those who died fighting for freedom. Over 800 flags, each dedicated to a Hancock County veteran, waved in the wind as area families solemnly stood in remembrance.
Greenfield Mayor Chuck Fewell, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, spoke to the crowd about the sacrifice, bravery and courage of veterans, many of whom joined the forces not knowing where they would be stationed or serve on deployment. Fewell, who enlisted after high school, said each veteran is a hero.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe crowd included some 50 veterans, both young and old. They gathered for a photo after the event, with many wearing side caps, jackets and shirts showing their service history and military branch.
“When our country called, they answered,” Fewell said.
Some veterans died in war; others died later in life. But many, Fewell reminded the crowd, are still missing. More than 82,000 American personnel from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the gulf wars and other conflicts aren’t accounted for, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Half of those missing in action are believed to be lost at sea, the agency says.
In remembering veterans who have fallen, Fewell said the country should also think about their families. He recounted President Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote that sits above the entrance to the headquarters of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”
Fewell closed his speech challenging those gathered to think about how honoring veterans could extend past ceremonies and days of remembrance.
“We shouldn’t stop fighting for our veterans,” he said. “They didn’t stop fighting for us.”
Members of the Dale E. Kuhn American Legion Post 119, which hosted the event, presented several wreaths dedicated to the wars and conflicts fought by U.S. troops and also veterans organizations.
The Greenfield Veterans Honor Guard conducted a rifle salute after the wreath presentation, followed by the raising of the flag. The crowd then listened to the playing of “Taps” by Perry Flaugh.
Before community members left the ceremony, they joined Anita Workman in singing “God Bless America.”
