Memorial Day Celebrated

Bethany J. Royer Piqua Daily Call Originally published May 31, 2 11

PIQUA - He could not have been more than five or six years old, seated on his grandfather's lap !"o generations on a green metal par# bench not far from the Pi$ua %eteran's &emorial, beneath a perfect blue s#y !heir discussion "as along the lines of a hat comparison !he grandfather's blac#billed cap decorated "ith several "ar pins' P(), &IA, an American flag, a star# contrast to the grandson's *teelers hat )hen members of the Honor +uard too# position, the grandfather and grandson forgot their hats and $uieted their conversation so as to stand together !he elder rested his left hand on the youngster's shoulder, the right held in salute as !aps played It "as a seemingly simple moment shared, as every &emorial ,ay should be, by multiple generations in honor of the brave men and "omen "ho have given so much to their country and her citi-ens A time "hen Americans give than#s to their loved ones "ho have served in the army forces and to remember those "ho are held close to their hearts in memory *uch "as a time &onday as Pi$ua to"nspeople, veterans, the young and old ali#e, congregated at the &emorial, "here the annual parade dra"s to a stop All in than#s to the hard "or# of the %eteran's .ommittee and the many volunteers "ho began bright and early that morning to prepare for the day's ceremony As one individual "iped do"n the &emorial that stands in honor of those "ho have served in conflicts around the globe, box seats had been put into place for veterans and local officials to sit, such as .ity &ayor /ucinda 0ess "ho "as in attendance that day Another volunteer placed a round table "ith a candle, flo"er and empty chair for the fallen nearby, "hile several early-rising, local citi-ens "al#ed around the &emorial to read the names printed upon the stone beneath their feet &iriam 1obinson, a lifetime resident of Pi$ua, sat at one of the many bleachers set out for the day )hen as#ed if she had any veterans in her family, 1obinson spo#e of a brother "ho served eight years in %ietnam 2&y brother, he "as en3oying the countryside, so he "ent and stayed in,2 she said "ith a smile A contrast to the story she shared of her late husband "ho did a four year tour in the 4orean )ar 5oseph 0errier, of the )estern (hio .hapter of 4orean %eterans, U * Army, "as also present, having "al#ed to the &emorial after he missed his veteran's float 2I "as on it, and I 3umped out of it to get some flags, and they "ere gone,2 he explained "ith a good-natured chuc#le as he busily passed out those very flags he'd

gone to so much trouble to retrieve In time, ,iane .ollins, of the American /egion, "ould 3oin him "ith program fliers prepared by +ary 0elver, secretary and treasurer for the American /egion 6ventually, as the morning progressed, so did the parade, "hich "eaved its "ay north on )ashington Avenue, consisting of various local orgni-ations including county-"ide %eterans, the Pi$ua .ivic 7and and the Pi$ua High *chool 7and, 7oy *cout !roop 89:, the Pi$ua 0ire ,epartment and many others )hen Ama-ing +race s"ept across the grounds via bagpipes, the cro"d too# to their seats, or found shade beneath the trees 2Ama-ing +race, ho" s"eet the sound, !hat saved a "retch li#e me I once "as lost but no" am found, )as blind, but no", I see 2 +ary 1oss, .ommander of the %0) Post ;<=; "as &aster of .eremonies and introduced the invocation given by 5oseph +oet-, &iami .ounty .hapter of ,A%, "hich "as follo"ed by the Pi$ua 0ire ,epartment and several members of the 7oys *couts troop raising the flag Also present during the ceremony "ere local +irls *couts that 3oined the latter to place a "reath and yello" rose, donated by Allisten &anor's 0lo"er 7ox, at the &emorial A special recognition a"ard "as given by 7ruce Hogston to ,ic# /offer for placing flags at the cemetery for the past ;> years 5ean ?elp and !oni 0rancis "ere also recogni-ed for their contributions to the &ission@ %eterans , . , a non-profit organi-ation that sends veterans to the Aation's capital to see their memorial A poignant reading "as given by 1obyn .ooper from the American /egion Auxiliary Unit B<;, music by the Pi$ua High *chool band, a profound memorial address given by +lenn .ota, and ?vonne (rdean, 5on and *herry 0urro" sang, 2!aps2 A firing of salute "as performed by the %eterans 6lite !ribute *$uad and "as follo"ed by the bugle playing of !aps that closed the day's solemn event !hen the grandfather in his decorated, "hite lapel shirt, along "ith his grandson, "ent hand-in-hand to the &emorial "here they began to read over the names at their feet, their earnest discussion begun ane"