While the upcoming long weekend is sure to be filled with cookouts, trips to the lake or creek and gatherings with friends and loved ones, Dowagiac residents should take some time this Monday to commemorate the true reason for the Memorial Day holiday.

The members of the Dowagiac Masonic Lodge are once again organizing the city’s annual parade in observation of the national holiday, a day to honor our country’s veterans who have lost their lives in armed conflict.

The program begins at 10:30 a.m. in front of city hall downtown. Several speakers will open the ceremony, including this year’s guest speaker, Bobbie Bradley, the president of the Talons Out Honor Flight organization.

Talons Out, one of two Michigan hubs of the national Honor Flight organization, organizes flights for veterans living across southern Michigan, bringing them down to Washington D.C. Once there, volunteers escort the veterans to the various war memorials erected in the nation’s capital.

Several Dowagiac veterans have taken part in the program in previous years, with another scheduled to fly down to Washington with a group leaving early next month.

Bradley will talk about some of these prior flights and the impact they have on the veterans who take part during her presentation, she said.

Following the program, the parade itself will kick off, with around 30-35 units scheduled to participate. The parade route will go through Front Street, turning east on Division Street before heading down Riverside Drive.

The parade route ends at Riverside Cemetery. Everyone will then gather around the graves of the veterans buried on the grounds as members of the VFW host a ceremony in their honor.

In all, the program, parade and cemetery ceremony will last around an hour and half — a small sacrifice of one’s day to honor those who gave up everything to protect our nation.

Thankfully, Dowagiac has always shown up strong for the city’s Memorial Day events. Hundreds line up around the streets to witness the parade and listen to the speakers, each and every year.

We don’t see any reason why that doesn’t have to be the case this Monday as well.

We encourage our local readers to take some time out of their lives next week to attend the event, and continue to show that Dowagiac recognizes the sacrifices made by those brave men and women who have made it possible for us to continue living the American Way.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.