Memorial Day service to be held on May 25

SHAWANO — The parade is cancelled, but traditional Memorial Day services will be go on at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Shawano.

The program will be held on May 25 at 10 a.m. at 1115 E. Green Bay St., Shawano.

Master of ceremonies will be Dennis Bohm. The main speaker will be Brent Miller, Shawano County administrative coordinator.

The ceremony will include placement of a wreath, a rifle volley and presentation of the song “Taps” by Brent Buettner, Emma Foster and Amelia Rademacher. Other music in the program will be presented by Ralph Beversdorf and Tim and Tina Gouine.

The program is organized by the Allied Vets Council, which includes the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 22, Veterans of Foreign Wars 2723, American Veterans (AMVETS) Post 10, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 206 and American Legion Post 117.

WDVA virtual commemoration

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Secretary Mary Kolar has invited Wisconsin veterans, family, and friends to join the WDVA and Gov. Tony Evers to honor the fallen by participating in Memorial Day 2020: Wisconsin’s Virtual Commemoration, a statewide Memorial Day observance.

The commemoration includes a virtual ceremony, educational and other resources to help families and individuals engage at home, and tools to encourage public participation and social media interaction.

The WDVA will hold a virtual Memorial Day ceremony at 9 a.m. May 25, followed by the observance of the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. Kolar will lead the moment of remembrance live on Facebook.

The commemoration will be shown at www.WisVetsMemorialDay2020.com.

The WDVA is calling on people across Wisconsin to join in playing “Taps” on Memorial Day at 3 p.m. as part of the National Moment of Remembrance, an annual event that asks Americans to pause for a duration of one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States. A video of “Taps” is available to play on www.WisVetsMemorialDay2020.com.

“Every citizen across this nation owes a debt to those who, in President Lincoln’s words, ‘gave their last full measure of devotion.’ We will still honor and express our sincerest gratitude to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coastguardsmen who died in defense of our nation and our values with a beautiful online ceremony,” said Kolar. “Be assured that while we cannot gather, we will honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in a worthy manner.”

Each year, the WDVA welcomes hundreds of community members to Memorial Day ceremonies at the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemeteries. This year, in the interest of the health and safety of the community, there will be no public ceremonies. In addition, there will not be a large public event to place flags. However, arrangements have been made to ensure that there are flags on the graves for Memorial Day.

The cemeteries are open and accessible to the public from sunrise to sunset every day. The WDVA encourages visitors to observe social distancing guidelines when visiting. Families and friends should also consider visiting on another day when there are likely to be fewer visitors.