Large numbers of the Morrison, IL, community gathered along the parade route and at Grove Hill Cemetery, on Monday, May 29, 2017, to support Memorial Day and honor members of the Armed Services. They were accompanied by sunshine, clear skies, and mild temperatures.
Good sound projection is sometimes taken for granted at these outdoor ceremonies. Credit must be given to Bob Yarbrough–who has installed speakers in the trees for “over 60 years.” He has been assisted by son, Mark, right, and grandson, Jacob, left. Jacob has served as a Specialist in the Infantry of the Army National Guard for three years; he has five years left in his term. State emergencies and town disasters keep him involved in service to his Country. Bob reported Yarbroughs have served in the military since the Civil War.
At 10:30 a.m. the Memorial Day Parade commenced from The American Legion Hall, in the 300 block of E. Main Street, moved north on Genesee Street, and ended at High Street. Morrison Police Sergeant Kevin Soenksen led the participants; The American Legion Honor Guard followed. Convertibles conveyed Mayor Everett Pannier, back, left, with Post Commander Dale Usterbowski and Pastor Mark Winkelman and his family.
Next came the Morrison High School band, directed by Josh Youngs, at right, then volunteers carrying the Community State Bank American flag.
A half-dozen motorcycles carried Patriot Guard Riders. This organization escorts deceased members of the U .S. military, Firefighters, and Police to their burial spot, at the invitation of a decedent’s family.
The combined Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout Troop distributed flags. Following them was the Cub Scout Pack.
Two hay racks carried veterans of various ages. The Illinois National Guard office from Rock Falls, IL, entered a HMMWV, and Morrison Fire Department entered Engine 4 bedecked with six flags.
For part of the parade, Joseph Klimson was assisted by his niece, Danielle Clements, who is a veteran. Her two-year-old daughter, Rachel, walked beside, carrying a double-sided sign: “Uncle Joe’s 70th Parade”/My 1st Parade.” Sons Gregory, 12, and Mac, 6, carried signs that stated, “Joe Klimson” and “WWII Veteran.” Wife Polly walks at right. [Nancy Gravert took this photo.]
Morrison Lions Club hosted a bicycle decorating contest; several children took the challenge. Another service organization–the Clinton, IA, KA ABA Shrine Club–sent their whirling Wheel Horse Patrol. Morrison Community Hospital EMS entered an ambulance.
As in all parades that allow horses, horse and pony equines brought up the rear.
Police Officer Lonnie Smith concluded the procession.
After the parade MHS band students–some who were graduated the day before–performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Colors were posted by The American Legion Post 328 members, left-to-right, Fred Steele, Bob Brands, Ron Wiersema, Ken Petersen, Garry Seaman, and Active Duty Marine, Cory Zigler. Zigler was home on leave and asked to be part of the ceremony. He is stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, a military training facility in Jacksonville, NC.
Jim Prombo opened the sesquicentennial (150th) local Memorial Day Services. He noted veterans are allowed now to wear their military hats and offer a military salute during the Pledge of Allegiance or when the Colors pass. He noted six granite tablets will be installed in the Memorial Park area of the cemetery, thanked generous donors, and commented there remains a balance to pay for them. Morrison Garden Club members, he said, will landscape the new areas. Prombo broke his tradition of asking veterans from each decade to rise or hold up their hand to be recognized. This year, men and women rose in unison, and so did the spectators, applauding enthusiastically for several minutes.
Pastor Mark Winkelman, St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church LCMS, 601 N. Jackson Street, Morrison, offered the Invocation and, later, the Benediction. He read from a Service Prayer Book his grandfather had used during WWII, offering “a short prayer for our Armed Forces this morning.”
Two American Legion Certificates of Recognition were presented to members of 70 years, by Post 328 Commander Dale Usterbowski. [Nancy Gravert took the photos of these men.]
Joe Klimson was honored for seven decades of involvement in Memorial Day activities. The audience rose to its feet and clapped for a long time in appreciation. His certificate read: “In recognition of 70 years of Outstanding Dedication and Service to his Fellow Veterans and their Families and to the perpetuation of the memory of the sacrifice of those who have served and given their all, American Legion Post 328 recognizes Joe Klimson.”
Sergeant-in-Arms Fred Steele, Commander of the Honor Guard, received a similar certificate for exemplary service. He returned from military duty in 1947 and became an Honor Guard member right away. Again the audience rose and applauded.
The Illinois Army National Guardsmen standing by the HMMWV are Staff Sergeant Bobby Kibodeaux, Rock Falls Career Counselor, left, and his new recruit, Tyler Todd of Morrison. The latter is a 2016 Morrison High School graduate. Todd leaves for Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, SC, next to Columbia, on Wednesday, July 5. He will become an 88 Mike truck (semi) driver. “I can’t wait!” Todd stated. “I’ve been itching for the day.” Because “the National Guard gets deployed (overseas) before Active Duty [personnel],” he said, “I could be deployed in the future.”
During his address, U. S. Navy (Ret.) Chief Petty Officer Jerry Brearton invited any interested parties to join The American Legion. Veterans are welcome to join at any time.
The Editor asked Todd if he would consider doing that, to start his military career with a local connection. “Yes, I could do that, ” he smiled.
Todd was introduced to American Legion Financial Officer Brearton, left, and Post Commander Usterbowsi, right. The latter will send an application to Todd, waiving the first year’s membership of $35.
Brearton served 26 years active duty in the U. S. Navy. He remarked, “Over 1000 flags were placed” recently on the graves of veterans in Grove Hill Cemetery, by The American Legion and helpful volunteers. Below is Brearton’s Memorial Day Address.
Good day and thank you so much for being here. I have been to several Memorial Day events over the years, and I can tell you that this little farming community of Morrison really does it up well! When Jim Prombo asked me to speak, he left a voicemail saying he heard I had just retired and wondered if I would speak today. I texted him that I thought he was thinking about the wrong person. He called and asked why; I said I hadn’t just retired, it was seven years ago. Well, in another unit of scale, we could say it was 50 pounds ago. In any case, here I am, and I will preface this with saying, I am not a public speaker. That may come as a shock to some, because as most know, I do like to talk. But a podium and a microphone throw a curve ball into it.
So, what is Memorial Day? Memorial Day, like many holidays, has its meaning in its name. It is a day to honor those who have died in the service of their Country. It goes back as far as the Civil War. While doing research for today I came across this sentence, “Memorial Day is a Federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the Country’s Armed Forces.” While a lot of us confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day, I will say this. It is not a worry, because any appreciation is appreciated. As with a lot of things, the actual history and facts can be a little confusing.
Today is the one day where we fly our flag at half mast until noon and then briskly back up to full staff. The first part of the day honors those who sacrificed, and the second part of the day honors those who are still with us.
So a little bit about me. I retired in 2010, after having joined the U. S. Navy in 1984. I went to Boot Camp in Great Lakes, north of Chicago, IL. If there is anyone in the crowd from the Class of 1985, you may wonder how I went to boot camp, when I hadn’t yet graduated. I was in the Split Trainer Program, during the summer between my Junior and Senior year. I barely made it back in time for Senior classes; in fact, my stepmother had to get my textbooks for me.
When Legionnaires say someone died while serving in the Country’s Armed Forces, we say he/she “died with their boots on.” That may sound crude, but it determines the type of benefits a family receives. I bring this up because, while we place flags on our veterans’ graves in preparation for today, most of the time it is for our senior, long-living veterans. Actually that is the way we like it. Most of the people resting beneath those flags you see did their duty, served their time, and came home. They had a family, a home, and a career.
A few weeks ago we, Post 328 performed a funeral in Fulton, IL, for a veteran. We do about ten or 12 a year. Sadly enough, a good handful of them are our own members, and we are not doing that well on the recruiting side. Our Sergeant-At-Arms was away at his own wife’s memorial, so I was the one to present the flag to the widow. Very similar to today, I was a little nervous, but I got through it with no problem. It helps when you have no personal connection to the deceased veteran. Regardless how uncomfortable we feel, these ceremonies are the least we can do. Over my 26 year career in the Navy and my seven years in the Legion, I have presented well over two dozen flags to widows, parents, siblings, and, once to a child who was sitting on his grandparent’s lap. Most of those flags held a special meaning to me, which I recall all the time and especially during this day.
I think about this little boy and his mother, Lisa Tedstone, in Greenville, SC. Poor Lisa died, because she was pushed out a window in New York City, NY. This was very tragic, but she also died “with her boots on.”
As the Command Chief of three separate Navy Operational Support Centers, I was assigned as a CACO, Casualty Assistance Calls Officer. It is a job that no one wants, but one can do three years in an area and never receive an assignment. I wasn’t so fortunate. My first was in Milwaukee, WI. The Sailor was in boot camp in Great Lakes, and he was from the inner city of Milwaukee, so the Navy most likely would have been the best thing that happened to him. Sadly enough, he didn’t make it through boot camp. I was assigned the case, because he was in my jurisdiction. Even though I had been to the CACO class, I really didn’t know what I was doing. The young man’s wheelchair-bound mother already knew he had died, so the official notification wasn’t as bad as some situations. I remember Brian Patton who tragically was killed in Kuwait on Active Duty, but due to a car accident by a speeding contractor employee. Brian’s case wasn’t mine; it was assigned to one of my Sailors, OS1 Aaron Hessick. This was his first case, and he was a greenhorn. I wasn’t going to send him out alone. I never did a notification without including a Corpsman or Chaplain; since Chaplains are hard to come by, I mostly had a Corpsman in tow. Once we found Patton’s widow and made the official notification, my Corpsman said, “I thought she was gonna hit you.” I took her and his two brothers to Dover, DE, for the dignified transfer, because Brian’s body was arriving at the Air Force Base there. The plane was late, and we were staged at the base Chapel. She wanted to smoke a cigarette, and I walked her out to get her purse. She looked at me and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I am going to remember your face for the rest of my life.”
I am not trying to be a downer today. I do have very fond memories of our veterans who have died and how they did so much for their country, our country. By the way, this is still the best country in the world, no matter what you hear or see in the media. One of the ways to gauge that is by how many people are trying to get into this country, compared to how many are trying to get out.
So, with all of this said and all our memories, good or sad, let us remember that today is not the start of summer, and it isn’t a weekend for mattress sales. Memorial Day is always a day of remembrance. It is a time to honor our deceased service members and to thank the ones who have served and continue to serve. Thank you, for sharing this day.