WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — An annual ceremony to honor those who lost their lives serving in the armed forces returned to Central Wisconsin on Monday.
Restlawn Memorial Park held its Memorial Day ceremony on Monday morning where the names of dozens of area veterans were read aloud to honor their sacrifices and their family’s sacrifice. Restlawn Office Manager Amber Pender tells WAOW-TV the ceremony honors everyone involved. “They made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and we come together to honor them and their families each and every year,”.
Pender says the cemetery is glad to be back to a normal ceremony this year after last year’s smaller COVID-19 event. “Unfortunately with the COVID-19 pandemic we weren’t able to have the turnout that we normally do but we knew that it was our duty to make sure that all of our veterans were still honored in a way that we could do safely,”.
Memorial Day provides a special opportunity for the community to show their support according to Pender. “Memorial Day is one of those days that we come together as a community and honor those people and thank them for their sacrifice,”.
The event began with a police-escorted motorcade through the Avenue of Honor, an area of Wausau with a series of banners portraying 40 members of American Legion Post 10. The ceremony included the reading of names and several speakers, including a keynote address from Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg.
Attendees left the ceremony to the tune of “Going Home” played on bagpipes.
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