Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans, Gen John A. Logan, established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers in order to help heal a broken nation.

This Memorial Day, family and friends of area deceased veterans continue that tradition by gathering together to pay tribute to and honor our fallen heroes at the annual Memorial Day program which was held at the National Guard Armory.

The ceremony began with the posting of the colors by the 155th Engineer Company, South Dakota National Guard with assistance of the Greer Post #11 Honor Guard. The colors were presented followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Kim Soukup.

American Legion Commander, Clayton Rados, welcomed those in attendance and thanked them for attending todays program to honor our deceased veterans. Father Jim Friedrich gave the invocation.

Master of Ceremonies, 1SG (Ret) Mark Roberts, who is also the VFW Commander, introduced the honored guests that were present to include American Legion Commander Clayton Rados, Wagner Mayor Todd Johannsen and wife Barb, American Legion Auxiliary President Juanita Stone, VFW Auxiliary President Charlene Beeson and guest speaker Tammy Howard. He also recognized Jerry and Sandy Seiner and Dana Sanderson who were instrumental in providing the days program.

Kim Soukup sang “Go Light Up Your World”. She selected this particular song so she could share a little light in our world during our times of darkness. Her wish is that we live every moment, laugh every day and love beyond words.

Kathryn Doom was present to read her VFW Voice of Democracy essay. Kathryn is a Wagner Community School student who wrote an essay for the annual contest in October 2022.

Her essay was selected to represent the Wagner VFW Post in the District contest, which she won. She then competed at the state level where her essay won the state contest. She competed at the national level where she placed 34th and received a $1500 scholarship.

The roll call of deceased veterans was read by Clayton Rados and Don Kotab. There are nearly 700 veterans on the roll call list. Only a few actually made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, the remainder are those who wore the uniform and served our country proudly during war and peace. The list includes those interred in local cemeteries to cemeteries located as far away as Hawaii and Belgium. As each name was read, Legion and VFW Auxiliary members placed a poppy on a grave marker to commemorate the passing of that veteran. Following the reading of the names, American Legion and VFW Auxiliary members place a wreath to commemorate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

A recording of a medley of service songs was played by Dana Sanderson. As the song for each of the five services was played, those present who served in that branch were asked to stand and be recognized.

Guest speaker, Tammy Howard, reminded us that even though today is a day for family gatherings, BBQ’s and a day off work, we need to take a few minutes to remember our fallen heroes, those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms. These brave men and women took an oath to defend our country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. She stated that South Dakotan’s have been a great supporter of our military, many of whom have given their lives to defend our freedoms. Taffy talked of specific soldiers from our state who have made the ultimate sacrifice from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to Vietnam and both World Wars. She stated that 7% of our country’s population have served in the military and 1% are currently on active duty. She concluded her speech with a famous quote from Ronald Regan, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Father Jim Friedrich gave the benediction followed by the firing of a 21 gun salute and taps to honor all the fallen veterans. The Honor Guard then retired the colors which concluded the program.

Lunch was served to nearly 125 veterans and their families at the American Legion following the program.