Monday proved to be a day both for mourning and celebration as folks gathered across Monroe County to recognize Memorial Day and honor those who gave their lives in service to their country.

Waterloo’s annual ceremony once again took place at the courthouse grounds, with guests treated to music from both the Waterloo Municipal Band and numerous cicadas in attendance.

The ceremony was led by Waterloo VFW Commander Mike Douglas, with a prayer led by Pastor Shane Adkisson of HOPE Christian Church and performances of “God Bless America” and “Amazing Grace” by Stefanie Tyberendt.

During the ceremony, Waterloo American Legion Commander Clyde Heller placed a flag at the event’s memorial display, and Douglas likewise placed the memorial wreath.

Several individuals approached the podium to speak, the first of whom was Heller, who recognized that many celebrate the day as the start of summer while others place their emphasis on honoring fallen soldiers.

“Memorial Day is a day for both grief and celebration,” Heller said. “Reflecting on the tragic loss of life and remembering the courageous effort of all who lost their life in service to our nation. The respect and admiration we give our fallen makes tribute to their memories and the lives they lived.”

Heller also expressed his thanks to local scouts who took the time to place flags on the graves of those fallen servicemen and women in the community.

Next to speak was Waterloo VFW Auxiliary President Janeth Mogg, who used her brief speech to highlight the VFW motto of honoring the dead by helping the living, further noting that simply taking the time to honor the fallen one day of the year is not enough.

“We honor our dead service members by treating our living service members well,” Mogg said.

Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter also spoke, discussing both the significance of Memorial Day and sharing some insight into his own experience serving in Vietnam.

“A group of soldiers on an assigned mission, willing to fight for our cause and protect each other at all costs,” Darter said. “Some didn’t come home, and that’s why we are gathered here today.”

The guest speaker for the event was former VFW National Commander Matthew “Fritz” Mihelcic, who opened his speech by emphasizing the need to approach Memorial Day not only with reverence, but also joy.

“Good morning, and welcome to this celebration of life,” Mihelcic said. “And that’s what Memorial Day truly is, not one day a year to mourn our dead, but to celebrate that they lived.  General Patton in World War II said as much when he extolled the virtues of those troops that made the ultimate sacrifice under his command.”

He also gave a brief lesson on Memorial Day history, noting that the tradition began roughly 160 years ago with a group of Confederate widows placing wildflowers on the graves of their loved ones who had died in battle.

That tradition having spread quickly throughout the country, Mihelcic spoke about how Americans continue to gather each year to celebrate those who gave their lives for the sake of freedom.

Freedom and America’s defense of the ideal was a key point for Mihelcic.

“America is second to none when it comes to defending and protecting freedom around the world,” Mihelcic said. “And we ask for nothing in return. That is the legacy of our comrades who paid the highest price a soldier can pay. The entire world knows that America will not hold back when it comes to keeping our nation safe, and to keep other nations and our allies safe from tyranny, oppression, and terrorism. That is the legacy of our fallen comrades.”

As Mihelcic went on to say, “We here know the true cost of freedom is paid in lives lost.”

He stressed the need to celebrate and appreciate those lives while also teaching future generations  this appreciation.

Mihelcic returned to the idea of Memorial Day being more than simply a day to feel sad for fallen soldiers.

“If you feel sad or have feelings of grief today, I understand that,” Mihelcic said. “But remember that because of that person you mourn, you are here today living a free life under this beautiful flag.  Because of that service you are still guaranteed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

He added that those enjoying the day with BBQs, family and summer fun are welcome to use their freedom to do so as others focus on keeping the memory and legacy of fallen soldiers alive.

Mihelcic brought his speech to a close by highlighting the American flag, “the red for the blood that was shed, the white for the tears of those who lost loved ones, those stars clustered together to show the unity of our country and that field of blue, showing the tranquility of God almighty.”

“Our loved ones are buried under that great flag,” Mihelcic said. “As long as it waves, and as long as you celebrate the lives of those we have lost, our country will continue to be the greatest nation the world has ever known.”

Following Mihelcic’s speech, several members of the VFW Auxiliary spoke briefly and participated in the placing of the white, blue and red flowers on the memorial display.

Buglers Russ Wolf and Ryan Brandt performed “Taps” to close the ceremony.

In Columbia, the Memorial Day service was held at the Columbia American Legion Post 581 hall. 

The service began with remarks by Post 581 Commander Greg Smith. The Belleville Community Band also performed the National Anthem, God Bless America and the Armed Forces Salute.

Post Sergeant-at-Arms Ray Bense explained the significance of the Missing Man Table, and the Post Honor Guard demonstrated the folding of the American flag with Bense explaining the significance of each fold.

Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean was the guest speaker.

“First, my thoughts and prayers are with our brave warriors who lost their lives fighting for our country. That’s what’s most important today,” McLean began.

He then explained the idea to have him speak during Memorial Day began when Columbia residents Gene Henckler and John Conrad visited the Monroe County Clerk’s Office to locate Henckler’s DD 214, a record of a military member’s service.

McLean then showed them old military records kept at the clerk’s office, which prompted Henckler to ask if McLean would share them during the Memorial Day service in Columbia.

Before describing some of the documents he brought, McLean gave a general overview of the clerk position.

In addition to election responsibilities, a county clerk is responsible for keeping land records and other vital records such as births, deaths and marriages.

He noted that the office of county clerk has been in existence for hundreds of years – nearly as many as the sheriff’s department.

McLean said the United Stated borrowed from the English system of keeping records as a function of preserving property rights.

“With property rights, it’s not only what you own, but who gets it when you pass away,” McLean offered as a reason the clerk’s office also keeps other vital records.

Records in the Monroe County Clerk’s Office go back as far as 1816.

“Say you were a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and you wanted 40 acres in this place called Illinois Territory. Maybe near Waterloo, Illinois. The President of the United States would grant you a land grant, they would give you a copy of the paper… and when you got here, you would go to the courthouse” to have the grant recorded, McLean said. 

Wearing a pair of white gloves, McLean then showed the audience what is believed to be the oldest document in the county, an original copy of a land grant from 1816, with the original grant remaining in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

He then showed a militia roll, or muster roll, from July 31, 1861, which served as a list of “white, free, able-bodied men ages 18 to 45” who could be used for military service.

McLean explained it was the county clerk’s responsibility to keep those records prior to implementation of the U.S. Selective Service System in 1940.

He also showed a muster roll for Columbia from 1917 which was used during World War I.

McLean also displayed a DD 214 for Arthur Rick dated 1943 – although he had been discharged 20 years before that date.

Rick also served as Monroe County Circuit Clerk for 20 years.

McLean also said DD 214 documents have become useful for genealogical research since Illinois passed a law recently allowing county clerks to release DD 214s older than 55 years from their recording date.

McLean said his office is working with other local groups to compile the second volume of a Monroe County veterans biography book and on identifying grave markers of soldiers in the county. 

McLean closed by thanking the audience for letting him serve as county clerk.

He also said he was honored to be the custodian of the county records.

“I take it very seriously,” McLean said. “When Dennis Knobloch stepped down, one of the last things he told me was, ‘Take care of these records. For this period of time, you’re the one in charge.’”

 The ceremony closed with the traditional laying of the wreath on the “Doughboy” statue near the entrance to the Post grounds.

During his closing remarks, Smith read a section of the Republic-Times “Yesterdays” column from the May 22 issue which mentioned the Doughboy statue being dedicated on Decoration Day, the precursor to Memorial Day, in 1924 – 100 years ago.

Valmeyer’s Memorial Day ceremony took place at the American Legion with Post 901 Commander Charles Asselmeier serving as emcee.

Others involved in the ceremony included Post Chaplain Leon Wirth, Auxiliary members Mary Asselmeier and Mary Ann Henke with a tribute to the dead and Allan Guttmann, who placed the wreath for Gold Star Mothers.

Music for the event was provided by Terrie Thies while Lea Hoock played “Taps.”

The guest speaker for the event was author, historian and former Columbia High School Principal Dennis Patton, who was presented with a certificate of appreciation from the post following his Memorial Day address.

Patton’s speech first touched on the history of the day as well as his own relation to it.

Like Mihelcic, he spoke about how the event started as Decoration Day following the Civil War as a spring tribute organized by families of fallen soldiers.

Growing up in West Frankfort, Patton recalled how patriotic his community was this time of year when he was a child, with parades, services and picnics that he attended with his family.

His dad served as a member of the American Legion Color Guard, and he recalled telling his father how he and his fellow military veterans were heroes only to be corrected, his father saying that those who sacrificed their lives were the true heroes.

As Patton grew up, he became more familiar with the concept of war as he was exposed to news reports amid the Vietnam War.

As a teenager and through college, he lost several former classmates and friends who served and were killed in action.

As he neared the end of his speech, Patton further emphasized how so many veterans didn’t come home as heroes, instead giving their lives in service to their country.

He emphasized the need to care for and honor the millions of veterans and active-duty soldiers who are still alive today.

Patton concluded his speech by noting that, though many don’t serve in the military, there are still many ways for someone to serve their country.

“I would also like to thank those in the audience who, like me, never served. Service is about serving others whether in the military or not,” Patton said. “We can all find a noble purpose through patriotic service like volunteering in ceremonies like today. In closing, I want to declare our undying gratitude for all those 1.3 million-plus soldiers who have given their lives in the service of America. Let us recommit ourselves to the cause of freedom, justice and democracy so their legacy and the legacy of all the fallen heroes and all of our servicemen who served, fought and lived will go on for generations and generations.”