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Goshen honors fallen veterans on Memorial Day

Goshen News - 5/30/2022

May 30—GOSHEN — Don and Patricia Battles, residents of the Larimer Village area of Goshen, were among those on hand Monday morning at Goshen'sMemorial Day Ceremony.

"We just like to pay tribute to the people who have gone before us," Don Battles, a U.S. Navy veteran, said shortly before the 8:45 a.m. ceremony, which took place at the Lincoln Avenue bridge near Rogers Park.

At that time, Jan Santos, of Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary 95, gave a brief opening prayer. After which, James Snowden tossed a red, white and blue wreath off the bridge into the river, where it floated quickly to the north. The event concluded with an honor guard salute.

Other groups which took part in the ceremony included Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 985, the Goshen Police Department Honor Guard, and others. GPD and the Goshen Fire Department provided traffic coordination, and the event was graced by sunny weather.

For Mayor Jeremy Stutsman, Monday's ceremony was his seventh such event in which he has taken part.

"I'm just proud to be part of today's event again," he said shortly before the ceremony got started. "I'm thankful to all who have served or who serve out country."

Shortly after the bridge ceremony, Stutsman continued his tribute by speaking at the podium at another ceremony, nearby on the front lawn of the Elkhart County Courthouse, which had more people attending. Another wreath was placed on the Elkhart County Veterans Memorial, located on the east side of the courthouse.

Stutsman described paying tribute to veterans as "a noble cause."

"Memorial Day is about people," he said. "(It is) about dedicated individuals who served our country and continue to serve. It is our duty to never forget."

A short distance away, by 10 a.m., people lined up both sides of Main Street for the Memorial Day parade, which got underway at 10:15 p.m.

"We're here because it's a fun activity," said David Johnson, who was there on Main Street with his daughter Sarah, 9, and son Evan, 7. "We love downtown Goshen, and it's always to pay respect to our troops."

The parade featured military vehicles, the Goshen Police Department Honor Guard, the Goshen Fire Department, Grace Community Church, ATI Physical Therapy, R & M Resale, the Laurels of Goshen, Disabled American Veterans Post 15 of Goshen, and others.

Steve Wilson is news editor for The Goshen News. You can reach him at steve.wilson@goshennews.com.

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