The 116 fallen heroes who slumber peacefully in Lakeville Cemetery were once again honored and remembered for Memorial Day thanks to the Lakeville Cemetery Auxiliary.
On Saturday, the organization conducted its annual Memorial Day ceremony in the cemetery, admist the gray skies and sprinkling rains.
Addison township Trustee John Sutphin welcomed the crowd. ‘Today, we remember and honor all our veterans for their service in the Armed Forces, some of which have paid with their lives so that all of us can love and enjoy freedom in this great Republic,? he said.
‘As you look around, you can see some 116 veterans resting in our cemetery, some dating back to the War of 1812,? Sutphin said. ‘I honor these courageous souls with a heavy heart and pray they rest in peace.?
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, the playing of Taps and a 21-Gun Salute by the Vietnam Veterans of America Oakland County Chapter 133, Oxford High School senior Shannon Gerbe performed a stirring and emotional rendition of the National Anthem.
A wreath was then placed in front of the flagpoles by Lakeville Cemetery Auxiliary member John Katsoulous and Gene Mallia, a veteran of the Korean War.
Cemetery Auxiliary President Marlene Mallia helped conclude the ceremony by reading a poem entitled, ‘I am the flag of the United States of America.?
A passage from that poem seemed particularly fitting for Memorial Day ? ‘But my finest honor comes when I am torn into strips to be used as bandages for my wounded comrades on the field of battle, when I am flown at half-mast to honor my Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and Airmen and when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving mother at the grave of her fallen son or daughter. I am proud!.?