Monday, May 27, 2019
10:00 a.m.
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Oakwood Cemetery – Oakwood Avenue and York Street
The annual Community Memorial Day ceremony is at 10:00 a.m. Monday, May 27, 2019, at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Oakwood Cemetery, Oakwood Avenue and York Street. The service, organized this year by American Legion Post 300, is comprised of members of American Legion Post 300, its Ladies Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Auxiliary. American flags are on the gravesites of veterans in all four of the cemeteries.
VFW and Legion member Kevin Driscoll is the moderator. Julia Doggett, Chaplain of the American Legion Auxiliary, gives the opening and closing prayers. Mayor Ruben Pineda is the featured speaker.
The ceremony includes the 21-gun salute and the laying of the wreath at the base of the monument. West Chicago Community High School Band, under the direction of James Wallace, plays a medley of patriotic songs. The echoing sounds of “Taps” reverberate throughout the cemetery as the two WCCHS student senior Jeri Rethford and junior Nathan Hiltner play their trumpets. As a side note, Rethford was the head drum major this year 2019/20 school year.
Prior to the community ceremony, members of the Legion and the VFW visit Glen Oak Cemetery on Arbor Avenue, Calvary Cemetery on East Washington Street, and St. John Cemetery in Winfield. At each stop, they honor those who have served with the 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”
Please note: City Hall will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2019 in observance of Memorial Day.
