Small town; Big tradition

I have mixed emotions right now. We just got back from our town's Memorial Day parade and ceremony. MM and I had lived in apartments in cookie cutter suburbs for about the first five years of marriage. Then we moved to a small rural community called Rockford. We missed it the first few years, then we found out about the Memorial Day event. For the last five years, I've walked in the parade with the Cub Scouts as a den leader and cubmaster. I just handed over the reins of the scouts to new leadership last week; so today I was in the crowd watching with all the other civilians.

JR's in the middle, carrying the troop flag

Hannah on the right, carrying her troop flag

The ceremony at the cemetary includes the reading off the names of all the Rockford veterans who are buried there. They start with the Civil War, of which they read off about 60 names, it's amazing. The other thing that's striking is when you hear the same family names from multiple wars. The Mudderers, the Vergins, the Lemages; they had names called in about 4 different conflicts.

The Wright County Sheriff's Department honor guard led the parade, and performed the 21-gun salute.

I thank God that we are blessed to live in such a great small town; and I thank God for those veterans who have served our country, regardless of whether or not they lost their lives in battle.