Under pristinely blue skies, area residents gathered in Lincolnshire’s Spring Lake Park on Monday morning to join a National pause to honor the price of freedom.
Nasko Pelinkaj, management analyst for the Village of Lincolnshire, says the Memorial Day Commemoration is one of Lincolnshire’s most important community events, dedicated to honoring the courage and sacrifice of our nation’s service members and their families.
“Today we honor those who made the sacrifices that make our way of life in Lincolnshire and in this country possible,” Lincolnshire Mayor Elizabeth J. Brandt said during her welcome remarks to the crowd.
Monday’s program was highlighted by a selection of patriotic music performed by the Daniel Wright Junior High School Band, The Old Glory Ceremony and procession by the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Nine One One Division, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Honor Guard, Village of Lincolnshire Police, Scouting America Cub Scout Pack 78, with benediction by senior pastor Jim Renke of the Village Church of Lincolnshire, and keynote address by Chief Master Sergeant, Daniel J. Kenemore, United States Air Force.
Kenemore, now stationed at Great Lakes, says Memorial Day is a sacred day to reflect on the sacrifice of those who never came home.
“This year we remember the more than 1.3 million Americans who have died in combat, not as a faceless number but as individuals, with their own family, friends, and dreams,” Kenemore said.
According to Kenemore, service is not just something that happens in uniform.
It happens in the homes that support those service members, in the schools that educate their children, in the communities that welcome them back and help them heal.
Jennifer Booker of Lincolnshire attended with family.
Mayor Brandt mentioned Lincolnshire resident William Gregory Landon, who died on May 26, 1967.
According to the Village website, a beautiful plaque and garden, just north of the ballfield at Spring Lake Park, honor Landon today.
“We honor them with our words, we remember them with our actions, and we carry their legacy forward — not only in ceremony, but in the way we live every day,” Kenemore said.
Gina Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
