(ambient music) - Thank you for joining us for this Memorial Day Tribute to those who have fallen defending America.

I'm Sid Ruckriegel, At-Large City Council member in Peoria.

I will be with you throughout this special presentation of remembrances in words, ceremony, and song.

WTVP has aired National Memorial Day programs for years and many of the towns and cities where you live have annual parades, picnics, or public services.

We sometimes forget the origin of this American holiday.

Yes, it's the unofficial beginning of summer and a good excuse for backyard barbecues and family gatherings.

But this program is meant as a reminder of why this day is important to all of us.

On Memorial Day, we remember those who, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, gave the last full measure of devotion to defend our nation and our freedom.

It has been more than 50 years since Memorial Day became a federal holiday and its origin stretch all the way back to the Civil War.

(gentle music) Beginning as early as 1866, towns and cities began holding tributes to fallen soldiers and decorating their graves with flowers.

In 1868, Illinois zone, John A. Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, called for a nationwide day of remembrance for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.

He called it Decoration Day and it was originally meant to honor the thousands who died on the battlefields of the Civil War.

By the turn of the century, many were calling the annual observance "Memorial Day".

After World War I, the dead from that conflict were also included in tributes.

Observances have evolved to include soldiers who died in all American wars, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since 1971 on the last Monday in May, a 21-gun salute echoes across the land.

The president lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier, a trumpet plays Taps at a cemetery, a mother silently sheds a tear for a son or daughter who will never return home.

Together, our great nation pauses to pay tribute to the men and women who are gone but never forgotten.

At different times, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, France, the Netherlands, and other nations remember their fallen soldiers creating a global bond between warriors.

In the UK, citizen wear poppies as a symbol of remembrance originating a century ago after World War I.

While Memorial Day observances a generally a solemn occasion.

It is also a hopeful recognition of America's promise and the freedoms we enjoy, thanks to the sacrifices of others.

Join me now as we honor our nation's fallen heroes.

- Mark time.

March.

Color guard, halt.

Left face.

Present colors.

♪ Oh, say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ thru the perilous fight, ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ And the rocket's red glare, ♪ the bombs bursting in air, ♪ Gave proof through the night ♪ that our flag was still there.

♪ ♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave - Now please welcome Brigadier General Bill Robertson.

- It is an honor for me today to speak with you and share my thoughts on Memorial Day.

I want to open with a quote that was found on a sea ration box found after the siege of Khe Sahn, Vietnam, 1968.

"For those who fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."

Can you imagine what type of battle could have evoked such eloquent, succinct writing?

Only a few can know.

Maybe some of you listening fought in that battle.

Some believed Memorial Day is time off for rest and relaxation with family and some great cookouts.

But as I look back at history, I dig deeper and reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day.

On this day, we should never lower our heads or ever forget the sacrifices of our nation's most precious assets, our sons and daughters.

I appreciate all the thank yous from people as I travel around America.

But whenever somebody does say, "Thanks for your service", I immediately hearken back to those who did not come home.

I'm always humbled by the honor and respect communities give to our veterans, but we should never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

From the inception of this great nation, its citizens have served to protect all of us from tyranny, criminals and terrorism.

Our fighting forces have borne the brunt of every battle and fought for America's freedom in the world.

Freedom comes at a cost.

It is never free.

So to say, we, as Americans are exceptional.

We are blessed to produce from our melting pot some of the finest men and women of all colors fighting for our liberty and freedom.

America's strength comes from all of you.

This is the day we reflect on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the greatest republic on the face of the earth.

Being an American is not easy.

Many would like to see America fail.

Americans will not fail, as long as our citizens and armed forces stand tall.

As long as we have our freedoms and liberties, we will never fail.

Those who have given the ultimate sacrifice gave us this sacred treasure over and over in our history of existence.

We need to continue to protect and defend this treasure called America.

You see, even as tough as it gets and as painful as it is, the nation remains, as President Ronald Reagan once said, "America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere."

That statement conjures up a powerful image in one's mind.

There are many lessons from the past we can learn from our conflicts.

We grow and evolve with each passing year.

We may not be perfect but we adapt and overcome our difficulties as we grow.

We learn about how tough we really are as a nation, and we are tough.

America has been attacked throughout our history only to rise up and defend herself like no other nation.

We love our freedom.

We love our liberty.

So why do other nations, people, want to come here?

As I have traveled in my 41 year career, I've met some of these people from other nations.

None of them enjoy the exact same freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Treasure those liberties and freedoms.

So when you make plans on Memorial Day, maybe next time before you go out and really enjoy that freedom and liberty, take a moment or even a few hours on that day or just some period before Memorial Day to pay your respects to who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

They are American sons and daughters who will not be able to enjoy the freedoms and liberties they so valiantly defended.

They gave the last full measure of devotion protecting our nation.

So take time to volunteer to help maintain the sacred ground that our fallen warriors now rest.

Remember what they gave to you.

It should make you feel proud and honored to be in the presence of our fallen comrades.

A couple of quotes that I think are very heartfelt and appropriate for this day.

Please bear with me.

This passage is from the book Patriot Hearts.

The author of the quote is unknown.

It deals with courage.

It's timeframe was Vietnam.

It's called The Difference.

"There are no monuments on Hill 402, like at Bunker Hill, Gettysburg or Normandy, but there is no difference in the valor displayed by American fighting men there and in a thousand other forgotten locations.

The difference lies only in that most Americans choose to forget."

And in the words of our 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.

It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

As I close today, we must never forget.

We have responsibilities as citizens and veterans to our nation.

Most importantly, please remember on this Memorial Day, our fallen comrades can't be here to enjoy the freedom and liberty.

They paid it forward with their life.

They pass the torch to you.

We must never forget.

May God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Thank you.

- And now, the River Valley Brass Quintet.

("Armed Forces Medley") As we publicly remember our fallen on Memorial Day, it is also important to remember our gold star families.

The Maddoxes at Bloomington-Normal share a few words on the importance of this day.

- Memorial Day, many people don't understand what this day really means to the families.

And it's a solemn day.

It's not necessarily a happy day and, you know, many people say "Happy Memorial Day", and I think that's where the understanding is forgotten of the whole purpose and the intent for the holiday is.

You know, the sales are wonderful and people remember it as, you know, the starting holiday of the summer but we should never forget our fallen, our military that have served and have sacrificed.

And it means a lot for the families to recognize this day.

And for us, Memorial Day is every day.

- You know, though it's really not that happy time, it is a celebration though.

It's a celebration to honor those that we've lost.

And I think, you know, when we look at that term or we look at that terminology to really let people know that, "Hey, yes, we want to honor our loved ones that we've lost", and the families really want to come together and be able to keep their names out there.

And I think the community recognizes that and they really support that.

- Because it's something that doesn't go away.

We remember our loved one every single day, you know, and it truly is a journey that each one of the gold star families goes through.

So when we can have special events or dedications of highways, it's, again, a way to keep our hero's name alive.

And there's a saying that, you know, "When you die, that's your first death, but when you forget to speak the name of that fallen hero, that's the second death that occurs."

And that's something that we don't want to happen.

So we want to remember that legacy, as well as their life and the memories that they stand for and the service that they have provided.

So it's really important because, you know, that's a time of the year where we also have an empty table.

We have our empty seat at our table.

And so, and the holidays are certainly hard times along with birthdays and what we call angel-versaries as well.

So all year long, remembering as important, by having the banners that are along various roads, having the dedications and memorials.

It's so crucial because it provides us with hope and it also provides a lot of healing as well.

- Absolutely.

And it's also a togetherness where we bring and we collaborate with those that we, you know, we understand what they're going through and how they feel.

So really, you know, it's to commemorate all of that together as a family, you know, we may not know their loved one that they lost, but as we come together, we start to be educated on what that family member meant to that family, as well as the community.

- We also want to let you know it's okay to ask about our hero.

- Absolutely.

- And ask us about their story and share their lives and their accomplishments.

That brings us joy.

Many people would expect that would bring us sorrow, but it does bring us joy.

And so on that Memorial Day, on that angel-versary or any day, you know, ask us about Sergeant Anthony Maddox and we'll share a little bit about his accomplishments and his goals and his dreams and how he served for this great country that we actually have.

- Color guard, attention!

(inaudible) Ready.

Aim.

Fire.

(gunshots firing) Aim.

Fire.

(gunshots firing) Aim.

Fire.

(gunshots firing) (voice drowns in aircraft passing) ("Taps") (calm music) (calm music continues) - Everybody talks about the heroes while everybody that's been in combat know who the heroes are.

(indistinct chatter) We left them there.

(calm music) - Thank you again for joining us here on WTVP for this local Memorial Day remembrance.

In our daily lives, in every city and small town at home, at work, and at play, let us always honor these brave men and women with our words and our actions.

God bless you all on this Memorial Day and God bless the United States of America.

(calm inspiring music) - Order.

Colors.

Right face.

Forward march.

(inspiring music continues)