Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84 commander Mike Eckburg, at the regular monthly Roosevelt Aurora American Legion Post 84 meeting, acknowledged a World War II veteran for his unwavering commitment to honoring the fallen heroes on Memorial Day.
Every year since Ken Olson had joined the Roosevelt Aurora American Legion Post 84 in 1947, he has attended and paid tribute to the fallen heroes at the annual cemetery visits conducted by the Post prior to the Memorial Day parades. Starting at 8 a.m. Memorial Day each year, members of Post 84 visit four cemeteries, Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Annunciation Cemetery, and St. Michael Cemetery in Aurora, and finish at River Hills Memorial Park Cemetery in Batavia. For the past 71 years, Olson, a Navy WWII veteran who was stationed on a minesweeper while he served, never has missed a Memorial Day.
The Memorial Day ceremony remains that same throughout all these years. The American Legion color guard presents the colors, the commander offers words of welcome, the chaplain offers a prayer for the departed, the commander relays words of meaning and the significance to honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the rifle squad fires a three-volley 21 gun salute, then the bugler plays Taps.
“Each year we have to recognize the significance of a holiday dedicated to giving honor to those who have given their lives for our freedoms,” stated commander Mike Eckburg, a Vietnam Navy Corpsman Veteran. “It is not a holiday for picnics or celebrations, it is a holiday to realize that there are brave men and women who never made it back home, and it is our duty to honor them every year with dignity and endless appreciation for their ultimate sacrifice.”
“I will keep going as long as I can”, Olson said. He noted that this year his car stalled at the first cemetery, and a good Samaritan got it running and dropped it off at his home while Olson finished the ceremonies carpooling with the chaplain.
— Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84