By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — Memorial Day in Orion is a solemn day of remembrance with people from throughout the community joining Orion’s veterans in remembering those U.S. military men and women who died in service to the nation.
Lake Orion American Legion Charlton-Polan Post 233 veterans, Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary held a wreath ceremony at the bridge over Paint Creek in Children’s Park in downtown Lake Orion to honor those U.S. military service members who died at sea. Post 233 Auxiliary President Sandi Boyd tossing a wreath into Paint Creek.
Post 233 then held the annual Memorial Day Parade in downtown Lake Orion, including military personnel, local scouts and students, community and service organizations and the Lake Orion High School marching band.
The Orion Veterans Memorial board members and North Oakland VFW 334 held a Memorial Day ceremony at the Orion Veterans Memorial.
“We want to honor those veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in serving the country, and make sure that people don’t forget why we celebrate Memorial Day,” said Bob Smith, chair of the Orion Veterans Memorial Board.
The ceremony included special guest speakers, patriotic music, the American Legion Color Guard and hundreds of veterans and guests paying their respects to the service men and women who gave their lives in service to the nation.
Veterans read the names of those Orion servicemen who had died in the line of duty, from the Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom – 10 in the Civil War, three in World War 1, 18 in World War 2, five in the Korean War, two in Vietnam, one in Operation Iraqi Freedom and one in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Also honored were the 10 VFW 334 veterans who had passed away in the past year, the six Post 233 veterans who have died, and the 10 veterans from Oxford American Legion Post 108 who passed away since last Memorial Day.
The 8th annual 2024 Orion Veterans Memorial Day Run on Memorial Day had more than 350 participants who raced along the Paint Creek Trail. Proceeds from the Memorial Day Run support the long-term maintenance of the Orion Veterans Memorial, said race organizer Jenny Bhatti.
Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its roots date back to the Civil War era, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who have died while serving in U.S. forces. Until World War I, Civil War soldiers were solely honored on this holiday.
Now, all Americans who have served and sacrificed are observed.