Gratitude, hope themes of Pontiac Memorial Day ceremony

Speaker Mick Peterson shared a message of respect, gratitude and hope during the Pontiac Memorial Day service Monday morning at Southside Cemetery.

He said these are the virtues to take home and practice every day while teaching them to our children and grandchildren. Peterson reminded the crowd that respect is shown locally with flags hanging on the Mill Street bridge, flowers tossed into the Vermilion River, people wearing poppies and flags placed on the gravesites of veterans.

While we miss our fallen, Peterson noted they would be proud that their efforts in the past allow us to hold backyard barbecues, play ballgames in the park and kickoff the summer season we enjoy today.

Read Mick Peterson’s speech from the Pontiac service on Monday:

“First of all, I want to thank Steve Worthington and the AMVETS committee for asking me to take on a new role on this Memorial Day. I always considered it a privilege to be the host/emcee of both the Memorial Day and Veterans Day programs...something I’ve done since 2013. This is humbling because I never wore the uniform; I never went through bootcamp... or sailed on a ship to battle...or rushed to establish a beach head...or camouflaged myself with mud in a jungle... or rode in an airplane ready to parachute. I didn’t walk the walk those paths the soldiers did or are still doing today.

So why are we here today? And why do we keep coming back each and every day to this cemetery? Nobody ever says, “Happy Memorial Day!” because today is not really a day of celebration like Christmas, Easter, even the 4^th of July when we will commemorate our 250^th birthday. No, today is a solemn day, reminding us all that the Freedom we enjoy in this country is NOT free, that it involves giving and sacrifice. So we respect that point. The soldiers we honor today----male and female....from the American Revolution to the current world crises...took that even further...they made the Ultimate sacrifice---their lives, dying while serving in the armed forces. An estimated 1.35 million of them. We show that respect by hanging flags on the Mill Street Bridge; placing flags on the gravesites of veterans; tossing flowers into the Vermilion later this morning; or just by simply wearing a poppy.

The second reason we are here today is to show gratitude- to say Thank You, not only for their service, but also for being willing to do whatever was necessary to complete the mission, even if it meant putting their lives on the line.  We are here today because of the guy who took on the British at Lexington, the man who charged up the hill on that blisteringly hot day at Gettysburg, the WWI GI who found himself fighting poison gas and bullets in the trenches of France, the marines who raced onto Iwo Jima in WWII with my dad, the submarine gunner facing a German battleship, the pilots who brought those dive bombers at enemy fleets, and loads of others who put on the uniform so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today, the ones who didn’t come home.  We say it again...Thank you!

And the final reason we are here today is HOPE, that feeling we embody when we see the light at the end of the tunnel; the finish line during a challenge; and for you kids and teachers here today...the last day of school. Hope tells us that there is something better on the horizon...hope tells us that we have what it takes to make things happen...hope tells us that we have a chance. And today...we have that chance because of the ultimate sacrifices made by those who have protected us.

So that’s why we are here at Southside Cemetery today– RESPECT, GRATITUDE, AND HOPE. These are three virtues that we can take home with us and practice every day. We can teach them to our children and grandchildren, and you kids here can teach us adults a thing or two. Yes, we definitely miss our fallen, but they’d be proud that their efforts back then allow us to hold those backyard barbecues, play those ballgames in the park, and get summer off to a great start that we enjoy today.

Once again, I would like to thank the AMVETS for asking me to share time with you this morning. Let’s pray that we learn to practice respect, gratitude, and hope in our lives so that our country can become what it really needs to become. Thank you and God bless America!”