thedrifter
05-26-08, 08:26 AM
Crowd honors fallen heroes
By RANDAL YAKEY
Of The Oakland Press
HOLLY TWP. Patricia Horn leaned over the headstone of her husband, Raymond, and shed a tear for her lifelong friend.
A member of the U.S. Marines Corps, Raymond Horn did what his country asked, serving in Korea before coming home to raise a family. When he died last year, he was placed to rest on the hallowed grounds of the Great Lakes National Cemetery off Bedford Road in Holly.
"He was the best," said Patricia Horn, wiping away a tear. "The very best. We spent most of or time in Redford Township. We raised our children there. They all graduated from Thurston High School. He did all that was asked of him."
Horn, who now resides in White Lake, was one of several hundred who came out to a Memorial Day ceremony honoring deceased veterans at the Great Lake National Cemetery on Sunday.
Retired Marine Lt. Col. Todd Kaminski, director of veterans employment and training at the U.S. Department of Labor, was the keynote speaker.
Kaminski asked ceremony participants to remember those who sacrificed, some with their lives, so that the United States would remain a free nation.
"Since the birth of our nation, our liberty has been purchased by valiant men and women with deep conviction and bold action," he said. "The cost has often been in blood and tremendous sacrifice."
Kaminski asked the crowd to keep the men and women currently fighting the war on terror in their thoughts this Memorial Day. He also asked that all Americans observe a moment of silence at 3 p.m. today for those who have given their lives in the fight for freedom.
"The New Testament tells us there is no greater love than to than to give your life to another," said Kaminski. "Our fallen comrades have demonstrated that love. That is what Memorial Day is all about."
Richard D. Horton, 87, wore his Army jacket to the event. It still fits after more than 60 years. A proud World War II veteran, Horton was a tank driver in Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army and the 14th Armored Division.
"I started in Marsaille, France as a tank driver," said Horton, a Goodrich native.
"I was in the southern Ardenness during the Battle of the Bulge. I remember we crossed the Rhine River on Easter Sunday, 1944. When we crossed the Rhine, we were moving everyday. There was no stopping us."
Horton said Gen. Patton wasn't one for sitting still.
"We like to keep moving. There was no stopping the American Army after D-Day. We had more soldiers than they (Germans) did. I really think they didn't really want to fight after the invasion."
"I remembered the first time I was in combat, I thought 'What the hell am I doing in this tank?' " said Horton, with a light-hearted laugh.
The Great Lakes National Cemetery is one of two such National Shrines in Michigan. Opened in 2005, the cemetery's 544 acres will be the final resting place for an estimated 177,000 veterans. Approximately 4,500 are already buried there.
Ellie
By RANDAL YAKEY
Of The Oakland Press
HOLLY TWP. Patricia Horn leaned over the headstone of her husband, Raymond, and shed a tear for her lifelong friend.
A member of the U.S. Marines Corps, Raymond Horn did what his country asked, serving in Korea before coming home to raise a family. When he died last year, he was placed to rest on the hallowed grounds of the Great Lakes National Cemetery off Bedford Road in Holly.
"He was the best," said Patricia Horn, wiping away a tear. "The very best. We spent most of or time in Redford Township. We raised our children there. They all graduated from Thurston High School. He did all that was asked of him."
Horn, who now resides in White Lake, was one of several hundred who came out to a Memorial Day ceremony honoring deceased veterans at the Great Lake National Cemetery on Sunday.
Retired Marine Lt. Col. Todd Kaminski, director of veterans employment and training at the U.S. Department of Labor, was the keynote speaker.
Kaminski asked ceremony participants to remember those who sacrificed, some with their lives, so that the United States would remain a free nation.
"Since the birth of our nation, our liberty has been purchased by valiant men and women with deep conviction and bold action," he said. "The cost has often been in blood and tremendous sacrifice."
Kaminski asked the crowd to keep the men and women currently fighting the war on terror in their thoughts this Memorial Day. He also asked that all Americans observe a moment of silence at 3 p.m. today for those who have given their lives in the fight for freedom.
"The New Testament tells us there is no greater love than to than to give your life to another," said Kaminski. "Our fallen comrades have demonstrated that love. That is what Memorial Day is all about."
Richard D. Horton, 87, wore his Army jacket to the event. It still fits after more than 60 years. A proud World War II veteran, Horton was a tank driver in Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army and the 14th Armored Division.
"I started in Marsaille, France as a tank driver," said Horton, a Goodrich native.
"I was in the southern Ardenness during the Battle of the Bulge. I remember we crossed the Rhine River on Easter Sunday, 1944. When we crossed the Rhine, we were moving everyday. There was no stopping us."
Horton said Gen. Patton wasn't one for sitting still.
"We like to keep moving. There was no stopping the American Army after D-Day. We had more soldiers than they (Germans) did. I really think they didn't really want to fight after the invasion."
"I remembered the first time I was in combat, I thought 'What the hell am I doing in this tank?' " said Horton, with a light-hearted laugh.
The Great Lakes National Cemetery is one of two such National Shrines in Michigan. Opened in 2005, the cemetery's 544 acres will be the final resting place for an estimated 177,000 veterans. Approximately 4,500 are already buried there.
Ellie