Memorial Day

Memorial Day in Mount Pulaski a little more emotional this year

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[June 03, 2021]   The Mount Pulaski American Legion Post #447 held their Memorial Day services at the Mount Pulaski Cemetery and at Steenbergen Cemetery on Monday and this year’s ceremonies invoked a little more emotion than in years past.

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]

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