Tribute can be found on CDTV and online at cityofdearborn.org
DEARBORN – The city of Dearborn is known for its patriotic traditions, most notably by presenting one of the largest and oldest Memorial Day Parades in America in conjunction with the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council.
To preserve that 96-year patriotic legacy following the cancellation of the 2020 parade due to COVID-19 concerns, the city and the DAWVC will present a special video tribute to those who died in service to the United States.
The two-hour video tribute will air throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m. on Memorial Day, May 25, on City of Dearborn Television, the government access cable channel. It also can be accessed through www.cityofdearborn.org or cdtv.viebit.com. The 10 a.m. start time coincides with the start of the Memorial Day parade in normal years.
“We cannot present the parade and solemn ceremony in person this year, but nothing will shake our commitment to honor those who gave the last full measure of devotion to our country,” Mayor John O’Reilly Jr. said. “Through their sacrifice, they remained faithful to us. So we must always remain faithful to them.
“The city and the DAWVC will never forget those who died to preserve our freedoms. Our video tribute will reflect our commitment.”
The first part of the video special will focus on messages for 2020 from O’Reilly, DAWVC Commander Bill Bazzi, DAWVC Chaplain Stephen Fletcher, Police Chief Ronald Haddad and Fire Chief Joseph Murray. It will also include important solemn moments from the Remembrance Ceremony conducted during the 2019 Memorial Day commemoration.
The program will feature a dignified scroll of the Dearborn service members who have lost their lives in military duty. This scroll will feature photos of 236 of the 347 Dearborn men who made the ultimate sacrifice, and whose names are inscribed on the four monoliths of the Dearborn War Memorial in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library.
The photos were provided by Dearborn author Lisa Lark, who has researched the personal stories of the Dearborn service members lost in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Earlier this year, Lark launched https://dearbornmemorialproject.com, a website with the humanizing details of each man.
The video tribute will also present Memorial Day messages from members of the City Council.
In addition, the special program will include a rebroadcast of the 2019 Memorial Day Parade.
The parade each year centers on recognizing fallen service members, and also includes uplifting patriotic themes. More than 2,000 participants march in the parade, representing more than 80 veteran, school and community groups.
CDTV can be watched on channel 12 for Comcast customers, channel 10 for WOW customers, and channel 99 for AT&T U-verse customers. The program will air throughout the day, running every two hours from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., ending at midnight.