SN 6-4-2022

Page 2/The Sun and News, Saturday, June 4, 2022

Memorial Day also

is about families

left to mourn

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Memorial Day isn’t just

about honoring those who

gave their lives in service to

their country, it’s also about

honoring those left behind

by their loss.

Those were the words of

Lt. Col. Randy Knowles of

the Michigan Army National

Guard, delivered during a

Memorial Day ceremony

Sunday afternoon at the

Yankee Springs Township

Veterans Memorial.

Knowles is commander of

the 3-238th General Support

Aviation Battalion of the

National Guard, and the son

of Township Trustee Larry

Knowles. He served tours of

duty in both Iraq and

Afghanistan, working on

medical evacuations.

In his address, Knowles

shared a story of a soldier he

served with in Afghanistan

who did not make it back

home.

“We were on mission

together; going from one

base to another. Northern

Afghanistan, midday, beauti-

ful landscape,” Knowles

said. “The mission was

maturing, we were learning a

lot from each other, and

when time permitted, there

were jokes. It was a long, fun

day.

“I should preface with:

My happiness is dependent

on the presence of my fami-

ly. So, when that isn’t avail-

able to me, I need guys and

gals like him in my life. He

was just one of those guys

you wanted to be next to.

Whether you’re going for a

helicopter ride or digging a

ditch, that man standing next

to you put you in a better

mood; and I think we all

have folks like that in our

lives. But I always think of

that good memory. I don’t

think about the moment I

learned that he was gone and

was never coming home. I

just think of the good one.”

Knowles went on to talk

about the impact of a service

member’s death on the fami-

ly.

“Family members have

cherished memories, too,

there’s no questioning that.

But I think they are also

reminded of their loss at

times they probably don’t

want to be reminded,” he

said. “The crater is still there.

They are struggling through

this now-permanent gap, and

they don’t get to pick and

choose when and what mem-

ories they experience of their

loss. Those memories just

keep flowing at them invol-

untarily as they’re trying to

figure out this new life – and

it’s intolerable.

“So, for me, Memorial

Day isn’t just about honoring

those that gave the ultimate

sacrifice, it’s also for those

families because their sacri-

fice is great, as well.”

Knowles said he recogniz-

es that not everyone observes

Memorial Day the same

way, and that everyone hon-

ors and mourns differently.

“Some of us will be at the

gravesite [Monday], some of

us will watch a parade and

honor the service members

lost, some will be at the lake,

and some will be at work,”

he said. “For those I had the

honor of knowing who are

never coming home, they

would all say the same thing,

as would I. They would say,

‘Please don’t spend an entire

day of misery thinking about

us.’ They would say, ‘Have

that barbecue, be with your

family, drink too many

drinks, get sunburned, mow

the lawn. Do the things you

can’t do on Tuesday. Do the

things you get to do because

The parade on Main Street

was briefly halted for the plac-

ing of two wreaths honoring

fallen sailors and airmen by

Bob Buys of American Legion

Post 140. The procession

included Gold Star families

who have experienced the loss

of a loved one in defense of

their country.

At the cemetery, members

of Boy Scout Troop 105 did a

flag folding presentation, with

an explanation of what each

fold symbolizes. Four planes

from the Hastings Flying

Association did a flyover, and

an honor guard gave the 21-gun

rifle salute, followed by the

playing of taps.

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Members of Middleville Boy Scout Troop 105 per-

form a flag ceremony during the Memorial Day activi-

ties at Mount Hope Cemetery. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

U.S. Navy AE2 Bob Buys of American Legion Post

140 in Middleville drops a wreath into the Thornapple

River as Middleville’s 2022 honored veteran Jerry

Welsh looks on from the bridge over Main Street in

Middleville Monday during the annual Memorial Day

Parade. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

Thornapple Kellogg Middle School band teacher Mark Hagemann leads the TKMS marching band along

Main Street in Middleville Monday during the annual Memorial Day Parade. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

Miss West Michigan, Sarah Dudinetz, waves from a

Jeep in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade in downtown

Middleville. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

Continued next page