The Missouri Veterans Commission held Memorial Day Services on Monday at Missouri’s five State Veterans Cemeteries, including the one in Bloomfield.
The service was comprised of a ceremony for Prisoners of War and those Missing In Action and a speech by Mr. Paul Schuerenberg. Mr. Schuerenberg is a vocational rehabilitation specialist and a work therapy manager for John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.
The Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Ceremony included representatives of the US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, US Air Force, and US Coast Guard. The representatives stood around a table that was set with an empty place for the POWs/MIAs in each branch of the armed services. Violinist Allison Statler played Amazing Grace during the ceremony.
In his speech, Mr. Schuerenberg discussed how Memorial Day began.
“It started out as Decoration Day, and it was in the South, Southern families laying flowers and caring for the graves of their loved ones that had died in the Civil War,” Schuerenberg said.
The North later adopted this same tradition, and General John A. Logan pushed for the Decoration Days to become an official holiday. The government made Memorial Day an official holiday in 1888.
Mr. Schuerenberg also stressed the importance of remembering our veterans and our military. Memorial Day is dedicated to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and they should not be forgotten.
“Memorial Day isn’t just about barbecues and the unofficial start to summer,” Schuerenberg said. “Memorial Day is to honor those men and women of our Armed Forces that gave their lives in service to our country.”
The ceremony closed with the firing of volley and taps by the Stoddard County Veterans Honor Guard.