OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Winnebago County has a long history of military sacrifice, with hundreds of combat deaths across multiple wars.
The county recorded roughly 100 combat deaths in World War I, 342 in World War II, 28 in Korea, and 51 in Vietnam, according to a speaker at the Memorial Day service at Riverside Cemetery.
Organizers held a procession rather than a parade to keep the event focused on veterans.
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"The purpose as to why we have a procession instead of a parade is so that it's strictly for veterans," Ken Kilgas said, an Army veteran.
For Amy Smith, the day carries a deeply personal meaning. Her brother, Lance Corporal Eric Jude Schreiber, died while serving in the Marines in 1994.
"To me, Memorial Day means honoring those who have fallen in service to our country," Smith said.
Schreiber's sacrifice inspired Smith's own children to serve.
"Our two children are currently serving in the military as well now. They've experienced losses. It's just a very powerful day for us. There's a quote that I heard, he said, you don't really know the cost of freedom until you feel the weight of that casket," Smith said.
The weight of loss extends to wars long past as well. Suzanne Stadtmueller, former president of the Ladies Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1908, remembered her high school classmate Donald Last.
"My high school classmate, Donald Last. He was a good friend in high school. Danced a lot with him out at the rail. Did not know that he would be going to Vietnam. He did come back, not the way we wanted him to. Did attend his funeral though," Stadtmueller said.
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