PEKIN, Ill. – Memorial Day is a time to reflect and remember those who gave it all for the freedoms Americans enjoy everyday.
Pekin’s annual ceremony to remember took place Monday morning on its Riverfront. The ceremony featured prayers for those fallen, a 21 gun salute, and the playing of “Taps.”
The keynote speaker this year is the AMVETS Department of Illinois Commander Kenny Rowe. Rowe says the day is about celebrating those who gave their lives, and their sacrifice.
Rowe adds that it’s also important to tell those stories to future generations.
“We need to speak their names of the ones that have fallen and passed,” Rowe said. “We must ensure that our children and grandchildren understand that the freedoms that they inherited were paid for with the courage, service, and sacrifice of those in uniform.”
The ceremony also included the tossing of flowers into the river in memory of servicemen who lost their lives at sea.
