Rememberance urged at Venice Memorial Day services

VENICE — Again and again Monday, somber speakers asked people to remember. And to remember, they only had to look around.

The speakers were at the Memorial Day services being held at Patriots Park in Venice. As the speakers urged people to remember veterans who had given their life in service of their country, many of the 350 in attendance shook their heads.

That’s because, as veterans, they knew friends who made the ultimate sacrifice. And the stories of those veterans should be shared, said Joe Reynolds of American Legion Post 159 Honor Guard.

“Veterans stories are about ordinary people doing extraordinary things because they chose to,” he said in his speech Monday in Venice. “These tales of inspiration are essential for teaching life lessons, especially to young people who haven’t experienced war.”

Other speakers echoed similar sentiment.

Even during the event’s invocation, Chaplain Rod Dimon of American Legion Post 159 urged people to remember.

“To do any less would be a disservice to their memories,” he said.

American Legion Post 159 Commander Don Maclean said Memorial Day was for a specific purpose.

“Think about those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

Finding the veterans in attendance at Monday’s event was not difficult. During specific moments during the ceremony, veterans of all ages could be seen saluting. Many stood rigid and saluted slowly.

Even away from the ceremonies, across the street at Tuscan Gardens, a senior living facility, one of the many residents outside to hear the ceremony saluted from her wheelchair.

More salutes came as wreaths were laid. Other key moments in the ceremony came from music provided by Suncoast Wind Ensemble.

Reynolds, in his speech, said that just remembering fallen veterans wasn’t enough. He urged veterans and those who knew veterans to leave their stories at:

WhyTheyDoIt.org

“Consider all the freedoms and privileges we enjoy in this country and ask yourself who protects them,” he said. “Veterans have a wealth of wisdom and experience, and their stories of family, success, and loss show how service shaped their lives, We need to capture and share this wisdom so that it can be passed on to our future generations.”