POST-PARADE MILITARY CEREMONY HONORS VETERANS
ELMHURST, Ill., May 16, 2002 – America’s veterans will be honored during a Military Ceremony at the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial on Monday, May 27, following Elmhurst’s 84th Annual Memorial Day Parade.
The memorial ceremony will feature stirring speeches by Elmhurst Mayor Thomas D. Marcucci and others, the laying of wreaths by military personnel and civilians, and a traditional Three-Round Volley.
William D. “Bill” Ralston of Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 will again serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
Patriotic music will be performed by the Antioch Brass Quintet and teenage soloist Sarah Benkendorf.
The names of Elmhurst area veterans who passed away since Memorial Day 2001 will be read aloud in remembrance, from the lists provided by Ahlgrim Funeral Home, Gibbons Funeral Home and Pedersen-Ryberg Mortuary. Parade Co-Chair John Quigley, president of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, will do the reading.
The American Legion will again place rows of white crosses adjacent to the Veterans Memorial with the names of some 50 Elmhurst residents killed during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. Flowers may be placed next to the crosses. For further information, contact Ralston at (630) 279-5588.
The Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1993 through the efforts of Elmhurst Veterans of Foreign Wars Walter A. Glos Post 2048, American Legion Post 187 and Ralph Pechanio, 1992 President (now Chairman) of the Chamber’s Board of Directors and current Parade Co-Chair. Their fund-raising campaign generated more than $100,000 to build the memorial.