Taps
At noon, the flag was raised to full staff.
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Memorial Day Service 2022
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
June 1, 2022
A big crowd turned out on a very chilly Memorial Day in Pinedale to pay their respects during the Memorial Day Ceremony held at the Pinedale Cemetery on Monday, May 30th. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces.
Mike Edison, Commander of American Legion Post 47, recognized Mike Wilson, of Boulder, Wyoming, who was killed in action when a booby trap detonated in a battle while serving in Vietnam. He also noted Mark Vandervelde of Pinedale who survived war and returned home, and years later succumbed to injuries sustained from Agent Orange in the war. "Today, we show honor and respect for, and remember those who have passed," Edison said.
Also recognized was Marine Rylee McCollum, from Pinedale and Bondurant, who at age 20 was killed along with 12 other service members by a suicide bomb during operations to evacuate Americans and U.S. allies at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021.
A prayer was said, and two wreaths were laid on behalf of the VFW and American Legion, along with bouquets of flowers. The Honor Guard fired a three-shot volley. At the end, a bugle played taps. At noon, the half-staff flag was raised back to full staff. This flag custom honors the war dead for the morning and living veterans for the rest of the day.
American flags lined the roadway into the cemetery and small American flags marked graves in the cemetery known to be of someone who served in the military. The VFW, American Legion, and VFW Auxiliary put on the Memorial Day service.
There was also an open house for the new Cemetery District office and maintenance building recently built at the cemetery. A luncheon followed at noon at the Pinedale VFW.
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