SN 6-4-2022

The Sun and News, Saturday, June 4, 2022/ Page 3

you’re an American; things I
helped provide for you. Just
when you crack that first
one, just think of us.’”
County Commissioner
Catherine Getty shared the
story behind taps, the bugle
or trumpet call played at the
conclusion of military funer-
als and Memorial Day obser-
vances.
Township Supervisor Rob
Heethuis spoke on the histo-
ry of Memorial Day.
Local musician Mic Lane

sang two songs tied to mili-

tary experiences, and an

honor guard from American

Legion Post 45 in Hastings

provided a rifle salute before

the playing of taps.

Caledonia tribute recalls Cpl. Hoffman

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
American Legion Post 305
held Memorial Day ceremo-
nies Monday at five cemeter-
ies around the Caledonia
community.
Beginning early at Alaska
Cemetery and finally con-
cluding at Lakeside Cemetery
in the village, veterans and
community members paid
tribute to those who gave
their lives in defense of their
country.
Kent County Circuit Judge
Joe Rossi was the keynote
speaker for the day. A
22-year veteran of the U.S.
Marine Corps, both active
duty and reserve, Rossi
spoke about how two Post
305 members changed the
way he looked at “the mis-
sion” that is drilled into the
mindset of every Marine –
Cpl. Josh Hoffman and Chet
Teater.
Hoffman died Dec. 27,
2021, nearly 15 years after
he was critically injured
when a sniper’s bullet sev-
ered his spine while he was
on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq.
Teater, who was a former
Post 305 commander and
became a close friend of
Hoffman’s, died Feb. 27.
“What Chet and Josh
taught me was that after the
war has slowed down or
ended, when the bullets stop
flying, when the dust settles
... the member, the Marine
becomes the mission,” said
Rossi, who once served on
the Joint Chiefs of Staff at
the Pentagon during his final
tour of duty with the Marines.

“At that time, though

you’ve lived ‘mission first’

your whole time on active

duty, the members, those

veterans, those that need our

help, become the mission.

And that includes the wid-

ows and kids and family

members of all those folks

who come back. They are

our mission going forward.

I’ll tell you, no one lived that

example better than those

two.”

Rossi remembered

Hoffman from when he first

enlisted in the Marine

Reserves while Hoffman was

attending college.

“Josh is what we would

refer to as a Marine Corps

recruiter’s dream,” he said.

“He was a football star, cap-

tain of his wrestling team –

strong kid, he could bench

press a lot of weight ... he

truly was a Marine’s

Marine.”

After serving a tour in the

African nation of Dijbouti,

Hoffman volunteered to

serve a tour with the Alpha

Company in Iraq, only to

have his assignment changed

to the Weapons Company,

Rossi said.

Rossi visited Hoffman at a

Veterans Administration

hospital in Virginia after he

was injured and was airlifted

back to the states.

Teater, who served in the

Army during the Vietnam

War, befriended Hoffman

after he returned to Michigan.

“He really took this young

Marine, 30 years younger

than him, under his wing,”

Rossi said.

The two went on frequent

outings, often involving

speed. They had “a love of

things that go fast,” Rossi

said.

Teater played a leading

role in the building of a spe-

cially-adaptive home for

Hoffman in the Fox Glove

Estates subdivision in Irving

Township. The organization

Homes For Our Troops, with

assistance from volunteers

from Post 305 and the com-

munity, were involved in the

construction. Hoffman

moved into the home in 2009

and lived there until his

death.

Teater spoke at Hoffman’s

funeral in early January at

Lauer Family Funeral Home

in Hastings.

Post Commander Jim

McConnon read aloud the

names of nine post members

that have died in the past

year, including Hoffman and

Teater.

Post 305 has been holding

Memorial Day observances

in the Caledonia area for at

least 73 years, post adjutant

Scott Baldwin said.

“It is a conscious effort to

remember that Memorial

Day is about more than bar-

becues and the kickoff of our

summer months,” Baldwin

said.

The ceremony concluded

with a rifle salute and the

playing of Taps by members

of the Caledonia High School

band.

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To honor those who

served and died

The U.S. Army’s Donald Smith, from left, and

Alvin Warren, both 1st sergeants, and Lt. Col.

Denny Gillem, all now retired, stand at the

Orangeville Veterans Memorial on May 29 to honor

the memory of those who served and died for their

country. The 15th annual Memorial Day service

honored all those who served and died in the

nation’s armed forces in all wars since the Civil

War. During the proceedings, Warren served as

master of ceremonies along with Sara Knight, who

directed the Delton Kellogg High School band.

Gillem, Smith and Brandy Caldwell addressed the

audience. “I am reminded why we celebrate

Memorial Day,” Smith said. “It is for those who did

not come home. We honor them as a country by

having a day dedicated to them. We honor the

gold-star families and, in turn, honor the fallen. We

honor them by how we live our lives, so their loss

will not be in vain. For those that have served and

lived with the pleasure of coming home, we honor

them by our continued service, even after our offi-

cial discharge from duty in the armed forces – also,

by how we live our lives in freedom because of

their sacrifice.” (Photo by Linda Boyce)

Kent County Circuit Judge Joe Rossi, a Marine vet-

eran, offered the keynote address for the Memorial

Day ceremony in Caledonia. (Photo by Greg Chandler)

The American and
POW/MIA flags fly at half-
mast in front of the Yankee
Springs Veterans
Memorial (Photo courtesy
Don Williamson)

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