Symbolic placing of the wreath during the Syracuse American Legion Memorial Day service at Syracuse Cemetery.

By Tim Ashley
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Syracuse held its Memorial Day parade in the early afternoon and the route followed Huntington Street (SR 13) north and then turned west on Main Street. The parade lasted roughly 25 minutes.

It consisted of several floats representing organizations and businesses such as Lakeland Kiwanis Club, State Farm agent Dan Buchman, Warrior Nutrition, Syracuse Knights of Columbus, the Wawasee Marching Band with students from grades six to 12 and others. There were also Wawasee Community School Corporation buses, Syracuse Police vehicles, Turkey Creek Fire Territory vehicles and Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office vehicles with Sheriff Kyle Dukes on foot close by.

About 10 to 15 minutes after the parade ended, a service was held in Syracuse Cemetery. Guest speaker was Richard Owen, director of Owen Family Funeral Home.

Owen said Memorial Day “gives us a chance to unite and pay tribute to our veterans.”

He said he remembers as a young child going with his grandmother to decorate graves of military veterans in Syracuse Cemetery. He read a lengthy list of ancestors buried in the cemetery and who served in the military.

Owen said five of his seven aunts or uncles on his dad’s side of the family, including his father, served in the military.

He said he misses the patriotism once more prominent during Memorial Day. “I remember when seeing a flag pass by, we put our hands on our hearts,” he said.

The Wawasee band performed “God Bless America” and a few band members played taps during the American Legion Color Guard gun salute. In addition, the numbers of those who served in all of wars, are deceased and buried in Turkey Creek Township cemeteries were read aloud.