HOWARD (NBC 26) — A wreath, a flag, and carnations sit at the foot of a monument at the Duck Creek Cemetery in Howard following the VFW Memorial Day parade and ceremony.
- Watch the Duck Creek VFW Post's Memorial Day Parade make its way through Howard
- Meet the commander, who says an event like the one in Howard on Monday inspired him to join the military
- Hear from a pub owner who says he's glad to be able to welcome people into his business to honor fallen service members
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A wreath, a flag, and carnations now sit at the foot of this monument at the Duck Creek cemetery. I'm your Howard neighborhood reporter Pari Apostolakos here to tell you why a gathering at a local pub means more on this day.
Families lined Glendale Avenue Monday morning for the Duck Creek Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Memorial Day parade.
The procession stopped at Duck Creek Cemetery, where a ceremony honored people who had died while serving in the armed forces. Howard Village President Burt McIntyre spoke at the ceremony.
"No one goes in harm's way to be a hero," McIntyre said. "They do it because they understand that they are a part of something much bigger than themselves."
"So today, a special day, when we as a nation publicly recognize and solemnly proclaim that our fallen service members matter and their service to our country mattered," Duck Creek Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Commander Bruce Jagodinsky said.
He says seeing a VFW event like this one in his youth helped inspire him to join the military.
"I often thought of serving my country, but that really pushed me to where I thought I really wanted to do it," Jagodinsky said. "It's fantastic to see the crowd that we had here."
Afterward, folks gathered at Duck Creek Pub where owner Joel Graham was happy to host.
"Myself, I was in the army for nine years," Graham said. "So, [I enjoy] when I get to do anything with veterans or going to represent how we feel about those that have come and gone and how we always honor them and the things we do for them."
He says he's glad the pub can bring people together on days like this.
"It just, it means a lot to me to have a day where we can just take time to actually just think about [people who died serving their country] and appreciate them and yeah, we miss them a lot," Graham said.
He says the Duck Creek pub is open to anyone. Veteran or not. In Howard Pari Apostolakos NBC 26.
