BEMIDJI 鈥� Despite a steady drizzle, around a hundred community members gathered together on Monday morning at Greenwood Cemetery for a Memorial Day ceremony to honor those who have died while serving their country.
After the presentation of the colors by members of the Honor Guard and junior ROTC, Ralph Gracie American Legion Post No. 14 Commander Steve Jewett led attendees in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Past Commander Joe Vene then sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a POW flag was posted in honor of the many prisoners of war and those unaccounted for in all wars and conflicts involving the United States.
"Father, we're gathered here together to honor the memory of those who served and those who gave their lives in the line of duty," Chaplain Ken Glidden said during an opening prayer. "Father, we thank you for their service. Help us to always remember and live our lives accordingly so that we, too, may dedicate ourselves toward the calling that we had."
Jewett welcomed attendees to the service before introducing guest speaker, Todd Haugen, who is a former KB101 radio announcer and school board member and host of "Lakeland Currents" on Lakeland PBS.
Haugen shared the history of Memorial Day, which was originally established as Decoration Day on May 30, 1868, to honor the over 600,000 casualties in the American Civil War.
The holiday became Memorial Day in 1971 and was expanded to include American soldiers killed in every war.
"We have many holidays that are celebrations, though to me, Memorial Day is not one of them," Haugen said. "Every one of those Americans killed in battle would have loved to live out their life in the happiness of the freedom that we enjoy that they, and our other veterans, made possible.
"Knowing that so many of them had to die to make that possible doesn't make me want to celebrate, but it does make me want to honor them and their memory in any way I can."
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Haugen spoke about his father's service in the military as a highly decorated Marine who led a squadron of bomber pilots in the Philippines in World War II.
"Some of our veterans die from their battle wounds many years after the end of their military service," Haugen explained. "Such was the case with my dad."
His father is one of many veterans no longer living who made great sacrifices for their country. After a relapse of malaria contracted in the Philippines, he died by suicide in 1965 when Haugen was 7 years old.
Haugen ended his speech with a call for attendees to remember and honor the service of veterans killed in battle every day, not just on Memorial Day.
"Let's keep in mind all of our veterans who are no longer with us," Haugen said. "There would be no United States of America without veterans' service, living or not. ... I'm sure that they would want to know that they, and their sacrifice, are remembered."
Following Haugen's address, Glidden read off a list of Ralph Gracie members who have died in the last year. Auxiliary member Kathy Ramos then read a list of those from Bemidji who died in action in the Korean War.
The initial part of the program closed with a rifle salute, Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 trumpet players Ryan Maki and Braeden Dougherty playing "Taps," and Joe Vene singing "America the Beautiful."
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To wrap up the service, everyone moved to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial to honor those who died during the Civil War with a rifle salute, reading of the Gettysburg Address and playing of "Taps."
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