The sounds of the Clipper City Chordsmen and the Manitowoc Marine filled the air as several hundred gathered at the Manitowoc County Veterans Memorial across from Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc yesterday (May 26th) to honor the brave men and women who paid with their lives to keep America free.
Mayor Justin Nickels honored those who allow us to celebrate our freedom every day.
“In a park owned by the citizens, to have a parade through our safe streets, to be able to freely elect our representatives, and to be able to enjoy the Manitowoc Marine Band and the Clipper City Chordsmen is the greatest privilege in the world,” he told the audience. “It’s because of a few hundred people that are not here in person, but in spirit, that are engraved in stone behind me, that we are able to be here today. Let’s not ever forget that.”
Manitowoc County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer spoke on a debt that we can never truly be able to repay.
“For many young men and women, their time serving and protecting our country was the defining moment of their lives. It changed their lives, and they changed our lives forever. We are here because of them,” the County Executive said. “We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who sacrificed so much so we could live free. We begin to pay that debt by honoring their sacrifice and for what they stood for.”
25th Assembly District Representative Paul Tittl of Manitowoc says those who paid for our freedom with their lives are more than just names engraved on a monument.
“Let us never forget the names of these heroes, the names that echo through the halls of our community,” he pleaded. “Let us never forget their stories that they shared, the struggles they endured, and the unwavering commitment they had to serve and protect. Let’s keep their memory alive by honoring them, by supporting their families, and by continuing to strive for the values that they fought so hard for to protect. Their courage, dedication,n and service will live forever in our hearts.”
Since the Revolutionary War, nearly 1.4 million men and women have lost their lives protecting America’s freedom, with approximately half of those deaths occurring since the Spanish-American War in 1898.
Manitowoc County Services Officer Todd Brehmer served as Master of Ceremonies.
