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This may have been due in part to the recent
banners hung all over Mount Pulaski that honor members of the
military, past and present.
Mayor Matt Bobell’s opening remarks included mention
of these banners around town and he noted that “if you see someone
around town you didn’t know was a veteran, please thank them for
their service.”
A number of those banners are dedicated to men who not only served
their country but who sacrificed their lives. Several of those men
were not only KIA but also MIA and POWs. Seeing the banners around
town and realizing the history of those fallen soldiers really sheds
a new light on things for the current generation. Above all, we must
never forget the ultimate sacrifice they made for their country.
Cullen Tyson of Mount Pulaski High School was the winner of the
essay contest, “What Memorial Day Means to Me” and in his speech he
told a story of his great-grandfather, a World War II veteran, who
was captured by the Germans and remained a POW for two years. He
spoke of the injuries his great-grandfather endured upon his capture
and how he battled tuberculosis in his lifetime. Tyson spoke of the
courage and bravery of not just his grandfather but all those who
served.
Grant Davis and Matthew Hagenbuch were also
recognized as the 2021 recipients of the American Legion Post #447
scholarships, each worth $500.
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Ladies Auxiliary President Phyllis Beccue said it was
a hard decision to award just one scholarship so that’s why two
recipients were chosen this year.
Ret. Col. Stan Manes also spoke to the crowd and he recited the
poem, “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae to open his speech. Manes
focused on remembering the fallen and even told a story about
running into a Vietnam veteran on the golf course who asked if he’d
ever heard of Tommy Deibert. Manes admitted he did not know the
history of Deibert, a war hero from Mount Pulaski who paid the
ultimate sacrifice. On December 17, 1944, S/Sgt. Thomas Deibert was
a B-24 gunner who was shot down over Czechoslovakia. He was one of
six service members who died that day. There is a memorial dedicated
to these men in Czechoslovakia to this day. Deibert still has family
in Mount Pulaski.
Manes also told a detailed story of a young Marine killed in
Vietnam. On May 17, 1968, PFC Robert Burke took on enemy gunfire to
protect the lives of his fellow Marines and he died where he fell,
fighting until the end. Burke was the 18-year-old brother of Phyllis
Beccue. Burke became the youngest person from the Vietnam Era to
earn the Medal of Honor. It was presented to Burke’s entire family
in a White House ceremony on April 20, 1970. Beccue sat behind Manes
as he gave his speech, wiping tears. There is a Robert C. Burke
Memorial Park dedicated to the memory of Beccue's brother in his
hometown of Monticello, IL.
In closing, Manes said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you to never
forget this sort of sacrifice, to live your life everyday in honor
of them and to thank them for their sacrifices so we can all be
free.”
In keeping with the tradition of the Memorial Day Service, wreaths
were placed at the Veterans Memorial by local organizations and
flowers were presented by children. The Mount Pulaski High School
Band also played a medley of patriotic songs. The Boy Scout Troop
#122 was also in attendance. Fire and EMS personnel also took part
in the ceremonies. Local veterans did the 21-gun salute and Alan
Roos played “Taps.”
Phyllis Beccue also mentioned that there are 89 banners saluting the
military, hung around town. Those banners will hang until after
Veteran’s Day, upon which they will be removed and presented to the
families of the soldiers. The list has already begun for next year’s
banners. For more information contact Phyllis Beccue.
[Teena Lowery] |
