East Helena Memorial Day Parade honors those who died in service to our country

The East Helena Memorial Day Parade kicked off in front of the VFW in East Helena with the roar of a cannon.

After the blast of a cannon, members of various groups such as the VFW, the Boy Scouts, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Sons of the American Revolution, and more marched down Main Street in honor of Memorial Day and the service men and women who have come before. The parade culminated in guest speaker Major General Pete Hronek, the Adjutant General for the State of Montana. He shared his family’s tradition of service.

Hronek spoke about his grandfather who served in WW2, his stepfather who fought in Korea, and a friend who fought in Vietnam.

“Today, I tried to make it personal. I tried to tell the stories of the people that shaped my life that were, that served and also had comrades and brothers and sisters in arms that gave the ultimate sacrifice, because until if we don’t let it be personal it becomes a thing of the past and we don’t care anymore,” says Hronek.

Tom Buchanan

The memorial culminated in a 21-gun salute and the traditional play of Taps. Zack Larson, Post Commander of VFW Post 10010, says that remembering our history is vital to the future.

“We learn from our history. Everything that we’re going to do going forward is based off history, based what off what we’ve learned. So, it’s very important to remember everything that fellow Americans have done for this country,” says Larson.