Memorial Day 2016

Memorial Day 2016
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
John F. Kennedy

​We would like to thank all who attended our Memorial Day Ceremony. It was a beautiful day and many turned out to join us as we honored our fallen Comrades, family members and friends, our local heroes who gave their lives for our Country in order to protect our freedom and provide safety to us all.

Each year, VFW Post 1454's Honor Guard and Veterans lead the Highland Parade through the streets of Downtown Alma. The Highland Parade is one of the many activities featured during the Highland Festival & Games. 

Our thanks to Keith Virgo Photography for giving us permission to use his awesome photo (above) taken at this year's Highland Parade!

This year, VFW Post 1454 placed 400 flags on the graves of our Comrades to honor our heroes laid to rest, Riverside Cemetery in Alma, Michigan. All brave soldiers representing our small community in every war, spanning each generation, from American Civil War Veterans to the present day.

Our Memorial Day Ceremony began at Riverside Park along the banks of the Pine River with a ceremonial wreath drop by air into the river. Our Post Chaplin, Don Burt, lead a prayer in memory of our fallen Comrades, "Taps" was played and a "21 Gun Salute" was given by our Honor Guard.

Our ceremony continued at the War Memorial at Riverside Cemetery. Post Commander Victor Simon gave a heartfelt speech paying tribute to our fallen soldiers. Post Chaplin Don Burt and Auxiliary Chaplin Marian Shinabarger lead in prayer. Sr. Vice Fred Fales and Auxiliary President Cecelia Proctor also shared words before placing their wreaths and flowers in honor of our nation's heroes. To conclude the ceremony the Honor Guard gave another "21 Gun Salute" while "Taps" rang through the air. All were invited back to the Post for coffee, doughnuts and fellowship. We enjoyed another nice turnout back at the Post including two Veterans interested in joining our Post and Auxiliary.

We would like to thank the individual(s) responsible for placing the coins on every soldier's grave. Those who visited the cemetery noticed these coins and many were curious about the meaning behind them. Your act of tribute lead to many conversations between community members and the Veteran's of VFW Post 1454. We would like to thank you for opening a dialog that allowed us a better opportunity to meet and connect with those in attendance.

The tradition of leaving coins on a soldier's grave dates back to Roman times. It is a way for the visitor to pay respect to the deceased and let the family know the grave site had been visited. In modern times, different denomination of coins represent the following:
A penny left means respects paid.
A nickel left means visitor completed bootcamp with the deceased.
A dime left means visitor served with the deceased.
A quarter left means the visitor was present when the soldier died.

Again, we thank all who attended our 2016 Memorial Day Ceremony. We thank you for your continued support of VFW Post 1454 and our local Veterans.