Keith Kushnir (left) and Ken Roberts (second from left), members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Sgt. John S. Cosbey, Camp No. 427 of Dearborn, perform a gun salute May 31 during a Decoration Day ceremony at the Dearborn Historical Museum Commandant’s Quarters, 21950 Michigan Ave., Dearborn.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – A Decoration Day ceremony, a precursor of modern Memorial Day remembrances, paid tribute to those lost in battle May 31 at the Dearborn Historical Museum Commandant’s Quarters, 21950 Michigan Ave.
Members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Sgt. John S. Cosbey, Camp No. 427 of Dearborn, and Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonel Joshua Howard Chapter, Dearborn, collaborated on the ceremony.
John McGill, commander of Camp No. 427, said those present pay a respectful tribute to the memory of their ancestors and the principles for which they fought.
“With bowed heads, soft tread, voices hushed, we need to remind our people of the duty the soldiers, sailors, the Marines, who wore the blue, the flag for which they fought, and the country for which so many have died, and that it is us they keep freeing, with the memories of heroic service and unselfish sacrifice,” he said.
“May we fully realize the sanctity of our place of honor, may our conduct give assurance and sincerity of our purpose and to the earnest appreciation of the duties and responsibilities resting upon us as Sons of Union Veterans and Daughters of the Revolution.”
Courtney Ozog of the DAR said the group has three objectives: historic preservation, education and patriotism, and called on those present to share the names of their Revolutionary and Civil War ancestors.
Francis Miles Finch’s poem “The Blue and the Grey,” which commemorates those who fought on both sides of the Civil War, was read, in turn, by several of the event participants.
A gun salute, with Civil War-era muskets, was fired by Sons of Union Veterans members Keith Kushnir and Ken Roberts, which left musket smoke lingering in the air, in sharp contrast to the modern backdrop of a bustling west Dearborn.
For more information about Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonel Howard Chapter, Dearborn, go to Joshua.michdar.net.
To learn more about the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Sgt. John S. Cosbey, Camp No. 427 of Dearborn, go to suvcwmi.org.