Bott Radio Network

Nebraskans Remember Memorial Day 2007 "No weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable, as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries do not have." ~ President Ronald Reagan Lincoln, Nebraska: Wyuka Cemetery hosted their annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 28th. The ceremony commenced with a parade through the brick lanes of Wyuka Cemetery to the historic G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) burial site, where veterans of the Civil War rest. This year’s ceremony included the United States Air Force Heartland of America Band, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from all over the city, Nebraska veterans, and Lincoln, Nebraska firemen. At the ceremony, an 1868 proclamation of General John A. Logan was read and veterans of past and present wars were gratefully acknowledged. General Edward Binder, Retired Nebraska Army National Guard, gave a short address, and two thousand red, white and blue balloons were released. North Platte, Nebraska: – Adrian Smith, United States Representative from Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District, was the special speaker at this year’s ceremony. In his address to the gathering he said . . . “We must honor in our hearts, in our minds and in our actions what our country means, what our country stands for, what our country costs, and the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces.” The ceremony included a special dedication of a sculpture paying tribute to individuals who provide medical services on the battlefield to troops in the armed forces. Lexington, Nebraska: - Nebraska State Senator, District 36 (Lexington), John Wightman spoke to citizens gathered at the Memorial Day ceremony in Greenwood Cemetery in Lexington, Nebraska. “The long Memorial Day weekend is not about taking trips to the beach, going on family picnics or making anti-war statements, it is ‘about honor, duty and the ultimate sacrifice.’ It is a time to remember the loved ones that provided us with freedom. ‘Through their service and death, democracy is preserved.” Gothenburg, Nebraska: Bruce Clymer, Gothenburg, NE, City Administrator, addresses a gathering at the Gothenburg City Cemetery on Monday, May 28th, 2007. “Today, at this ceremony we too remember again those men and women who have sacrificed, and especially those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in honor of our country.” “Take time throughout your life to live in a manner that continues to uphold the gift we have received of living in this great nation from their sacrifice.” Wyuka Cemetery - Lincoln, NE General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) officially proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868 and it was first celebrated on May 30th of that same year. At that time flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate solders at Arlington National Cemetery. James Garfield, a Civil War general and later the 20th president of the United States, was present at the first Memorial Day observance and spoke these forever-remembered words to the 5,000 participants . . . “I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of 15,000 men whose lives were more significant than speech and whose death was a poem the music of which can never be sung.” Since that historic event, Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day, has become a federal holiday and celebrated every year on the last Monday of May. Lincoln, Nebraska photos by Tom Millett, Bott Radio Network. Other photos credited with photos in album.