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Photo by Sue G. Collins
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Pty. Officer Dane Stewart, a Saline High School graduate, places a rose and a prayer for a friend on the Veterans' Memorial at Saline American Legion Post 322. Fourteen new memorial bricks have been added this year in honor of soldiers.
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Nearly a thousand compassionate and eager friends, neighbors and visitors stood among the headstones in Saline's Oakwood Cemetery Monday morning, captivated as John Lockwood spoke.
Marine Cpl. John Lockwood came home injured from Iraq last November and while he touched on his horrific experience there and the long recovery ahead of him, the well-spoken 27-year-old took the opportunity on Memorial Day to shower the community with appreciation.
"Winning wars wouldn't be possible without the support back home," he said from the podium with his wife, Lisa, at his side. "However, we don't remember to honor the family, friends and community who make serving one's country honorable."
The sun-washed hillside cemetery was hushed as Lockwood spoke about how he and his fellow soldiers waited for mail calls and how they each carried something with them as a link to home.
Lockwood kept a lock of his wife's hair with him at all times.
He continued by thanking the people of Saline and the surrounding communities for unabashedly welcoming him home with open arms while providing financial and emotional support to his family.
"I've never heard of a community that came together like that before."
On a day set aside to honor the memory of American veterans who have fought to protect the freedoms of their country, Lockwood turned the attention instead to the country that has honored and supported him.
Saline's Memorial Day festivities kicked off with the traditional parade, organized by the American Legion Post 322. The Saline Middle School and high school bands played and the New Horizons Band serenaded the crowd along Michigan Avenue with patriotic tunes. City officials, Scouts, veterans and community groups marched toward the cemetery on Monroe Street, where an estimated 414 American veterans are buried, including at least one dating from the Spanish-American War.
Bob Kwiecinski is the former commander of American Legion Post 322 and was master of ceremony for Saline's observance of Memorial Day.
He and friends, including the Lockwoods, proceeded to the American Legion Hall, where he helped rededicate the flagpole memorial wall. Fifteen new bricks were added this year to honor veterans and friends of the post.
Family members were invited to place a single red rose on the brick honoring their loved one.
Kwiecinski also escorted Betty Flanders to the podium, where she recited the traditional prose, "Flanders Fields," which she said she first memorized in the fourth grade. Post chaplain Grover Alber provided an invocation and benediction for the gathering on the warm May day when families later gathered to reflect upon the country's fight for freedom.
Staff Writer Sue G. Collins can be reached at 429-7380 or scollins@heritage.com
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