Members of the Downriver Veterans Honor Guard fold a U.S. flag during the May 27 Memorial Day remembrance outside the Southgate Veterans Memorial Library.
Southgate American Legion Post 478 and Honor Guard member Jim Lewis, a U.S. Navy veteran, prepares to place a wreath near the memorial during the May 27 Memorial Day remembrance outside the Southgate Veterans Memorial Library.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
SOUTHGATE – During a cool May evening, residents and veterans honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country during the city’s 60th Memorial Day service, held outside Southgate Veterans Memorial Library.
The evening event, held May 27, was led by Southgate American Legion Post 478, and supported by the Downriver Veterans Honor Guard, who performed the gun salute and the flag ceremony.
Tracy Kirkendall of American Legion Post 67 sang the national anthem.
Jim Austin of Southgate American Legion Post 478, who led the remembrance, said they were there to honor and pay tribute to Southgate’s fallen heroes.
“These fallen heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “They came from all walks of life, but they had one thing in common: a love for this country. This national debt can only be repaid by us honoring this nation’s war dead.”
Major Joseph Kuspa said, in a voice filled with emotion, that this was the first time he had addressed a group live since the onset of the pandemic.
He said the passing on of history from one generation to the next is the best way to instill common values, patriotism and love of country.
“We can all read history books, but it is the personal discussions and interactions that we have with family and those we hold dear that brings our history to life and crystalizes the true meaning of national events like this,” Kuspa said. “That is why I am so pleased to see so many residents here tonight, and especially children and young adults.”
He said the debt due the fallen soldiers and the families they left behind can never be repaid.
“As Americans, we must realize that not only do our fallen soldiers deserve to have places of memorial constructed in their honor, but we must also hold a place for each of them in our hearts,” Kuspa said. “Without that commitment and passion by each of us and each generation of Americans, these monuments and glorious memorials are merely cold stone structures, temporary events, and pieces of our landscape.
“It is our responsibility, and every American’s responsibility, to preserve their memory, to continually acknowledge their sacrifice, to assist those that they have left behind, and to truly mourn the loss of a fellow American.”
Veteran representatives, local elected officials and family members brought memorial wreaths up to the monument, creating a tribute to the city’s fallen veterans.
Also present were the Legion Riders, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9283 and its Auxiliary, as well as members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Vietnam Veterans of America Post 259, with the 28th District Court Judge Elisabeth Mullins representing the Southgate Veterans Court.