Monday, May 26 is the unofficial start of the summer season and after experiencing the worst winter in more than 130 years, folks are eagerly anticipating a few pleasant months of barbecues, beaches and boating.
But let us not forget that Monday is also Memorial Day, a time to honor all the countless soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen who sacrificed their lives on battlefields around the world to keep America secure and liberate the oppressed from tyrants and totalitarian ideologies.
Oxford and Addison residents are encouraged to take a break from the start of their summer fun and attend one of their local Memorial Day observances.
The Lakeville Cemetery Auxiliary will conduct its ceremony on Saturday, May 24 beginning at 12 noon.
Folks are asked to begin gathering in Lakeville Cemetery on Drahner Rd., just west of Walker Rd., at 11:30 a.m.
The ceremony will consist of a flag-raising, patriotic music courtesy of Oxford Middle School choir students led by Director Jan Flynn, the placing of a memorial wreath and a speech by Randy Stetson, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1968-69.
One fateful day, Stetson, who now belongs to North Oakland Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 334 based in Oxford, and his squad found themselves pinned down by intense enemy fire.
With the nearest help 20 minutes away, Stetson realized something had to be done immediately, so he braved enemy gunfire three times to move three seriously-wounded comrades to safety. He then charged an enemy bunker and destroyed it.
Later, the enemy opened fire again and Stetson was critically wounded while loading a casualty into a helicopter. Despite his wounds, he was able to free his comrade from the chopper before it exploded.
All three of the soldiers Stetson rescued that day lived and he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
A potluck lunch will follow the Lakeville ceremony.
Oxford will conduct its Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 26 at 10 a.m. in downtown’s Centennial Park.
The ceremony will include speeches, the laying of memorial wreaths, music from the Oxford High School Marching Band and the placing of dog tags on white crosses representing all those sons of Oxford killed in conflicts from the Civil War to Vietnam.
This year’s guest speaker will be Lake Orion resident Jim Hubbard, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1966-68 and is now commander of VFW Post 334.
One day during the war, Hubbard and his team got pinned down by an enemy force with superior numbers. With complete disregard for his own well-being, Hubbard attacked the enemy so his team could reach safety.
During the attack, Hubbard suffered multiple wounds, but he held his ground and continued to wage an aggressive attack.
Eventually, Hubbard and his team were able to pin the enemy down until the rest of their squad could move around and capture them.
Hubbard received the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters and the Silver Star for his courage under fire and saving his comrades? lives.
Following the Centennial Park ceremony, Oxford’s Memorial Day parade will take place along S. Washington St. (M-24) and W. Burdick St.
The parade will end at Ridgelawn Memorial Cemetery located on the north side of W. Burdick St.
At the cemetery, prayers will be said, a wreath will be laid, ‘Taps? will be played and a 21-gun salute will be fired to honor the fallen.