KENT KRIEGSHAUSER/The Register-MailFrom left: Knox County soldier Scott Hennenfent, Gayle Tharp, Lisa Watson and Philip Steele stand near memorial wreaths on the courthouse lawn Sunday during the Veterans Day service. Tharp lost her husband Jerry, and Steele, his son Joshua in the war.
Honoring the sacrifice
Large crowd turns out to honor all who served
Monday, November 12, 2007
Galesburg's Veterans Day parade - likely the largest since the series began in 2001 - started off with a bang Sunday.At 2 p.m., members of the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery, Battery C of the Illinois Army National Guard shot off a howitzer, startling onlookers gathered at Chambers and Main streets. The surprise, planned by the parade committee but kept under wraps, got everyone's attention, as thick smoke covered the intersection.
A large crowd lined both sides of Main Street, from Chambers to Cherry Streets, with others watching on Cherry as the nearly 80-unit parade moved to the Knox County Courthouse. A program, including the laying of the wreaths at the military monuments on the courthouse lawn, followed the parade.
Despite cloudy skies, balmy temperatures in the upper 60s made it an ideal day to honor area veterans and those still serving.
At about 1:30 p.m., Larry Anderson, one of the parade organizers, along with Mike Allen and Linda Howarter, looked warily at the slate-gray sky.
"The sun was shining earlier today," Anderson said. "If we can get another hour (without rain) we'll be OK."
Sgt. 1st Class Ed Swearingen, 33rd MP Company, Freeport, served in Iraq in 2004. He was pleased by the size of the crowd.
"Veterans Day is one of the most important holidays for all of us to recognize," he said. "It allows us to do what we should do every day, thank those who make the sacrifices."
Mike Boyd of 'Vettes for Vets, which provided rides in Corvettes for veterans unable to walk the entire parade route, was equally enthusiastic.
"I can pay respect to my family and my friends that served my country. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have this," he said, gesturing toward the crowd and the parade units.
Bob Lewis of London Mills, who served in Vietnam with the 9th Infantry, said although he had no problems when he returned from that war, he thinks the support for those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is helping heal old wounds.
"I think it helps most of the (Vietnam) veterans get over what they went through," Lewis said.
Richard Dalton of Galesburg, who joined the Navy in August 1950 and continued to serve in the Reserves until 1985, has a personal stake in the war in the Mideast - a son-in-law in Kuwait and a great-nephew serving in Afghanistan.
"My son-in-law comes home in probably late April, first of May," Dalton, who was PMC Dalton in the Navy, said. "(My great-nephew), he's got a little less than 30 days" left in Afghanistan.
As the sound of bagpipes and drums of Monmouth College's Pipe Band filled Main Street, the car carrying parade Grand Marshal Sgt. Timothy Frainer of Abingdon passed by. Frainer received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star after being wounded in Iraq by a roadside bomb in 2005. Frainer served with Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Wehrly, who was killed by that explosion. Sgt. Rob Hendrickson of Monmouth also was wounded in that incident and received the same honors as Frainer.
Family members of Private 1st Class Caleb Lufkin of Knoxville and Capt. Joshua Steele of North Henderson, two of the other seven area servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, marched in the parade.
It was a true patriotic occasion. Old soldiers saluted, caps were removed, and men and women put their hands over their hearts when the American Legion and VFW passed by, carrying the U.S. flag. Applause was heard throughout the parade for various members of the military and their families, as well as veterans. Numerous fly-overs added to the spectacle.
A Galesburg police officer on bike patrol saluted the flag as he rode east on Main Street, passing the VFW contingent.
Anderson was asked what he would say to the men and women serving in the Middle East if he had the opportunity.
"I'd probably say, 'Thank you. We appreciate what you're doing.' I guess thank you kind of covers it all," he said.
