Saluting America’s finest

  • The playing of TAPS by members of the Hamilton County Band signaled the end of the Memorial Day observance at the Aurora Cemetery on Monday. Byron Paschke is the trumpeter and John Jacobs played the drum.
    The playing of TAPS by members of the Hamilton County Band signaled the end of the Memorial Day observance at the Aurora Cemetery on Monday. Byron Paschke is the trumpeter and John Jacobs played the drum.
  • Hamilton County Veterans Service Officer Mike Irons stands at attention as the Marines Hymn is played at the Memorial Day program on Monday at the Aurora Cemetery.
    Hamilton County Veterans Service Officer Mike Irons stands at attention as the Marines Hymn is played at the Memorial Day program on Monday at the Aurora Cemetery.
  • Navy veteran Al Vetter stands in salute as the band plays “Anchors Aweigh,” the U.S. Navy song on Monday morning.
    Navy veteran Al Vetter stands in salute as the band plays “Anchors Aweigh,” the U.S. Navy song on Monday morning.
  • American Legion Post 42 Commander David Owen welcomes attendees to the 2024 Memorial Day ceremony at the Aurora Cemetery.
    American Legion Post 42 Commander David Owen welcomes attendees to the 2024 Memorial Day ceremony at the Aurora Cemetery.
  • Members of Boy Scouts of America Troop 28 raise the colors to half mast at the beginning of the program.
    Members of Boy Scouts of America Troop 28 raise the colors to half mast at the beginning of the program.
  • American Legion member and U.S. Navy veteran Aaron Nilsen of Marquette was the special speaker at the Memorial Day Service at the Aurora Cemetery.
    American Legion member and U.S. Navy veteran Aaron Nilsen of Marquette was the special speaker at the Memorial Day Service at the Aurora Cemetery.

    A gentle but growing breeze stirred the dozens of flags placed at cemeteries across Hamilton County Monday morning as local residents turned out for the various Memorial Day observances sponsored by veterans organizations. The sun beamed down from a partly cloudy sky and balmy temperatures made for pleasant conditions for listening to patriotic music, speakers, the reading of the names of veterans and other special presentations. 
    At the event sponsored by American Legion Post 42 at Aurora Cemetery on Monday morning, a large crowd consisting of all ages turned out for the 10:30 a.m. service. The Hamilton County Community Band gave a prelude to the program with the playing of several patriotic songs and then Post 42 Commander David Owen took to the podium to extend a welcome to all those present.
    “This day is sacred with the almost visible presence of those who have gone before us,” Owen began. “We honor the memory of those who gave their lives in the service of our country, and those others who have dropped their burdens by the wayside of life and are gone to their eternal rest.” 
    Members of Boy Scout Troop 28 and their scoutmasters advanced the colors, raising the American Flag at the Veterans Memorial to half staff for the ceremony. They also led in the Pledge of Allegiance. 
    Following the invocation by Pastor Rudy Flores and the playing of “The National Anthem” by the band, members of the American Legion and VFW Auxiliaries were invited to place wreaths in front of the memorial. 
    Owen next introduced the special speaker for the day, Navy veteran Aaron Nilsen of Marquette, who is also a seven-year member of Post 42. 
    “They were brothers in arms but also brothers bonded by sacrifice,” Nilsen began. “U.S. Navy SEALs, Nathan Gage Ingram and Christopher J. Chambers attempted to board an unflagged ship in the Arabian Sea that was carrying Arabian-made weapons to Yemen on Jan. 11, 2024. As they were leaving their boat to climb into the contraband ship, waves reportedly widened the gap between the two vessels. Chambers plunged into the water and Ingram jumped in to save him. They were never seen again. The dangers inherent with military service are especially so with the Navy special warfare operators, but they exist in every branch and in every military operation. Today we honor the more than one million men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to our nation while serving in the wars and missions since the American Revolution. Each story is unique and each story represents heartbreak to families and friends left to mourn.” 
    Nilsen went on to recount other stories of sacrifice made by military members over the years and then gave a brief history of the holiday. 
    “The first Memorial Day was not called Memorial Day,” he said. “It is believed to have been celebrated with a parade of freed slaves and Union soldiers marching through Charleston, S.C. in 1865. Waterloo, N.Y. is considered the official birthplace of Memorial Day because after the town held observances on May 5, 1866, General John Murray and General John A. Logan called on all communities to honor the war dead every year.”
    Nilsen said the observance, originally called “Decoration Day” because of the practice of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers, became more commonly known as Memorial Day during WWII which, he noted, led to the deaths of more than 400,000 American service members. 
    “Among those heroes were men singled out by President Ronald Reagan, as he stood at an outdoor lectern in Normandy, France on June 6, 1984,” Nilson said. 
    He then recited the following quote from Reagan: “Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs, and before me are the men who put them there. These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.” 
    “Many of the men rest in graves at Normandy American Cemetery,” Nilson continued. “Others found peace at Arlington or in their hometown burial places. And many more survived the war and raised their families under the peace and freedom that they and their brothers and sisters-in-arms fought so hard to achieve. In The American Legion Preamble, we pledge to preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars. We do this not to pat ourselves on the back or impress people with stories of our own military service. We know what we did. But we are also witnesses. Veterans have seen heroism in its purest form. Veterans served alongside the very men and women that we remember today.”
    Following Nilson’s speech, the band played “Salute to America’s Finest,” a medley of the songs of the various branches of the U.S. Military. As their song was played those who had served in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines and Air Force, rose to stand at attention and many saluted. 
    The Roll Call of the Deceased was read by veterans Mike Powell, Ron Elge and Alan Vetter listing the names of Hamilton County Veterans starting with the U.S. Civil War through the conflicts of the 21st Century who are either buried here or buried elsewhere but honored here. 
    The reading aloud of the hundreds of names took nearly 30 minutes. 
    Following a 21-gun salute to the deceased by the Legion Rifle Squad, TAPS was played by Byron Paschke. 
    Services were also held at the Hampton, Mamre, Kronborg, Stockham and Farmer’s Valley cemeteries.