by Dennis Dalman
Departed veterans who served the United States with distinction will be honored at Memorial Day ceremonies May 27 starting at 9 a.m. at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 12 W. Minnesota St., and later at three cemeteries.
Before the ceremony, American Legion, Legion Auxiliary members and Sons of the American Legion will gather at 8:45 a.m. at the American Legion Club, 101 W. Minnesota St., St. Joseph. From there they will march the block or so to the church for the 9 a.m. observance. After gathering at the church, three area cemeteries will be visited by Legion members, families, veterans, friends and others.
The first cemetery visited will be the “Old Cemetery” in St. Joseph not far from the downtown church. There, a ceremony will honor St. Joseph area veterans who died and were buried in foreign lands and in American national cemeteries, as well as those buried in St. Joseph’s two cemeteries. The names of the veterans will be read aloud as the church bell tolls for each one. Following the reading of the names, a firing squad will fire three volleys, and Taps will be played.
The purpose of the Memorial Day observance is “to revere the memories of relatives and friends who have answered the call to serve our country and also the call of our Creator,” said St. Joseph American Legion Commander Dennis Weisbrich.
After that ceremony, all will be invited to go to the American Legion Club to socialize with light refreshments and to reminisce about the family members and friends who were just honored at the cemetery ceremony.
After that gathering, the next stop will be at the St. John’s Abbey Cemetery at 11:15 a.m. to honor the veterans who are buried there. Legion members and the Legion Honor Guard will be present to do the honors.
At noon, the other cemetery to be visited is the very old Yankee Cemetery south of St. Joseph. Again, the Legion member and Honor Guard will attend that ceremony, too. At all three cemeteries, ceremony attendees will include family members and friends of the deceased veterans.
During the Memorial Day services, a total of 605 veterans will be honored.
Commander Weisbrich shared with the St. Joseph Newsleader a quote from U.S. President Ronald Reagan to emphasize the importance of Memorial Day: “Words,” said Reagan at a Memorial Day event, “are even more feeble on this Memorial Day for this sight before us is that a strong and good nation that stands in silence and remembers those who were loved and who, in return, loved their countrymen enough to die for them.”
Questions or requests for more information can be addressed to Commander Dennis Weisbrich at 320-250-6661 or at dcweisbrich@gmail.com.
This photo was taken on Memorial Day 2015 in the St. Joseph Cemetery with Rev. Jerome Tupa (left) and American Legion members officiating at the honor ceremony.
