©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Memorial Day Parade Held Despite Rain -- DOWNLOAD CEREMONY HERE |
FIRST REPORTED 1:00pm 5/31/10 Mother Nature might have put a damper on some Memorial Day festivities in Galesburg Monday, but not completely.
A 21-gun salute was part of a Memorial Day Service Monday on the Knox County Courthouse grounds following the annual parade. Persistent rains not only delayed the start of the parade by about a half-hour, it also caused the Galesburg High School marching band to take an early exit, and caused attendance to be, at best, lighter than normal.
But those who did attend heard from Kewanee native and Oak Run resident Jim McRell. He's a Vietnam veteran who says he saw firsthand the lack of respect he and others like him got when returning home from what because an extremely unpopular war.
"I hope, and pray, as our soldiers come home from the present-day war, that we will never again treat them as the enemy, but with the dignity and respect they deserve for serving our country," McRell said.
McRell also paid tribute to the fallen heroes the community has honored since the current wars on terror began.
"This county has recently buried several young men," McRell said. "This community has reached out in compassion to their families. This republic form of government we call the United States of America will not survive without the sacrifices of our American soldiers."
To hear all of Monday morning's Memorial Day service on the Knox County Courthouse lawn, CLICK HERE (mp3 format, approximately 34 minutes).
(A small amount of people stuck out the rain Monday morning along East Main Street.)
(Little Miss and Little Mr. Homebuilder were a part of the Memorial Day Parade)
(The Patriot Guard Riders)
(Jim McRell of Oak Run speaks during a Memorial Day service on the Knox County Courthouse lawn. More pictures are available on WGIL's Facebook page. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 05 31 10 by Newsroom |
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