Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
JROTC INSTRUCTOR 1st Sgt. William Murphy salutes as members of the Ironwood JROTC program raise the flags at the rededication ceremony for the Bessemer Township veterans memorial. Among the JROTC members participating in the ceremony were, from left, Kathleen Mieloszyk, Rico Braucher and Angelina Jarvela.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Bessemer TOWNSHIP - A crowd of around 20 people gathered outside the Bessemer Township township hall Saturday morning for a rededication ceremony for the township's veterans memorial.
The memorial is made from three stone slabs. The one in the center is approximately 7 1/2-feet tall and is engraved with a message that says, "In memory of the men and women of Bessemer Township who served in the armed forces of our country to preserve the freedom of humanity." Above the engraving is a shield with bald eagle grasping branches.
To the right and left of the center column are two shorter ones. The shorter slabs contain a sword with a wreath and three stars above it.
The memorial is surrounding by three flag poles as well as flower pots and benches.
Township supervisor Jeff Randall opened the ceremony with a short speech. Randall talked about dedicating the memorial to the area's veterans and how the memorial used to be somewhat hidden by the building's handicap ramp.
"This memorial has been sitting been sitting here since about the middle of the 1950s, and it was kind of hidden - at least from my view, when I came in - because the handicap ramp used to come right down along side here and it kind of blended in with it and it was hard to see," Randall said, explaining the redesign of the ramp and the other work done to the memorial. "The thing I like is (the ramp) it's almost like an arm reaching out of the building, as if Bessemer Township itself is embracing the (memorial and veterans)."
He thanked both the veterans in the audience and those that couldn't make the event for their service and for the sacrifices they made.
"There are many reasons why someone would join the military. Sometimes it's the call of duty, sometimes they are drafted. But the amazing thing is is that they all had the courage to go forward and serve with selflessness," Randall said. "Maybe they didn't think so as they were doing it, maybe they even grumbled while they were doing it, but yet their actions - which we know speak louder than words - says that they went ahead and did that, they did serve."
Randall, also playing off Saturday's cold weather, said many of those who served have endured much worse - be it those enduring the cold in the Ardennes Forest during World War II or the heat of the desert today.
After Randall's speech, members of Ironwood's JROTC program - including Zane Ozzello, Maggie Meyer, Rico Braucher, Angelina Jarvela and Kathleen Mieloszyk - raised the American flag, as well as the Michigan and POW/MIA flags.
A quartet of trumpet players - Steve Boyd, Larry Gabka, Madeline Gabka and Jacob Schmeltzer - then played a pair of trumpet pieces, including the national anthem.
Randall told the Daily Globe after the ceremony he felt the memorial was dedicated to all veterans, not just those in Bessemer Township, as all veterans were responsible for preserving this country's freedom.
Everyone was then invited into the township hall to warm up and enjoy refreshments.
