Photo Gallery: Memorial Day Ceremony in South Chicago Heights

Chicago Heights IL

06 June, 2022

9:09 PM

Description

It was a perfect day to remember the fallen soldiers. Since 1995, South Chicago Heights has held a Memorial Day Ceremony. Walking down the sidewalk in front of the Senior Center, piper, Tom Houts from Thornton played Balmoral. Firefighters from South Chicago Heights proudly walked behind Houts. The invocation and benediction was given by Bishop Ronnie White. This year, students from Steger Intermediate School participated in a Showcase of Patriots, dressed in uniforms from the Revolutionary War through the Mid-East Wars. Students included; Yahir Aranda-Salgado, Willow Froelich, Isabella Tello, Jaira Vazquez, Luis Gonzalez, Theodore Ingerly, Xavier Mendez and Francisco Perez. Trustee Araceli Marrufo recited the poem " I Do Not Know Your Name" as Village President, Mayor Terry L. Matthews presented the Memorial Wreath. The South Chicago Heights Police Department provided the Twenty-One Gun salute as Rebekah Crane sang God Bless America. The most emotional part of the ceremony was the Memorial Day speech by Mayor Terry L. Matthews. In part he read a poem about a soldier. …I'm sorry you've never haven't felt the alarm bells ringing in your body the combination of fear and adrenaline as you move towards the fight instead of running from it. I'm sorry you never heard someone cry out for help or cried out for help yourself, relying on the courage of others to bring you home. I'm sorry you've never tasted the salt from your own tears as you've stand at that flag draped coffin barring men you were humble to call your friends. I don't wish those experiences on you, but I do wish you had them. If you had them it would change the way you act, it would change the way you value, it would change the way you appreciate. You would become quick to open your eyes and slow to open your mouth. Most will never understand the sacrifice required to keep evil men like those from that distant compound away from our doorstep. It would not hurt you to try and understand. It would not hurt you to take a moment to think of the relentless drain on family, friends and loved ones that are left behind. Sometimes for weeks…sometimes for months…..sometimes for years…….sometimes…..forever. Ideas are not protected by words. Paper and ink may outline the foundation and principles of this nation But it is blood….only blood…that protects it. In that dusty compound a soldier that you have never met, gave everything he had so that you…have the freedom to think, speak, and act however you choose. He went there for all of us…whether you loved or hated what he stood for. He went there to preserve the opportunity and privilege to believe to be and become what we want. This country, every single person living inside of it's borders and under the banner of it's flag…owe that soldier. We owe that soldier everything, we owe him the respect the his sacrifice deserves. Saying thank you is not enough. We send our best and lose them in the fight against the worst evil the world has to offer. If you want to respect and honor their sacrifice, it needs to be more than words…you have to live it. Take a minute and look around. Soak it in, all of it, the good the bad and the ugly. You have the choice everyday as to which category you want to be in, in which direction you want to move. You have that choice because the best among us, the best we ever had to offer, fought and bled and died for it. Don't ever forget that.