Community Gathers To Remember Military Sacrifices On Memorial Day

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A large crowd in St. Cloud joined millions across the country in honoring those who died in service to our country on Monday. The St. Cloud Area Veterans Council (Metro Vets) held its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the VA Medical Center.

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The program featured a reading of the poem “In Flanders’ Field," a flag salute in recognition of the memory of all those who have fallen in service, and a laying of wreaths observance. The keynote speaker was 27-year Army National Guard member Colonel Brian Douty. Douty says it is an honor to be chosen as the speaker, and the holiday is extremely important to him and all who have served:

"To me, not only did we lose service members while we were overseas, but the suicide that is going on as well, that has run rampant in our formations over the last 20 or 30 years, and I've lost members that were with me in Iraq to that so I need to recognize those folks, it's my job and my responsibility I believe to be recognizing those so they do not get forgotten and the sacrifices that they have made for the service of their country and everybody else."

Douty says it took him a while to decide what he wanted to talk about, and he was still making tweaks to his speech on Monday morning. He says in the end he thought he needed to share the stories of those who aren’t lucky enough to be here and make sure everyone remembers.

Douty says it is important for people to remember those who served, but at the same time, they fought so all Americans can enjoy these holidays with their loved ones:

"We went and fought for that, and we are afforded those liberties, so I don't discourage people to celebrate the holidays and to enjoy this time with their family and friends but I do ask that they pause for the ceremony for example the half hour, forty five minutes to an hour that they can make it to any of these ceremonies across the state, across the nation whether you're in a big city or a little town go recognize those veterans at these ceremonies and pay your respects that way."

Douty says Memorial Day is a somber holiday, but those who sacrificed their lives need to be recognized.  He says it is a privilege for those of us who are here to be able to recognize those who served on Memorial Day each year.

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