Memorial Day - ‘We need to stop and honor our fallen comrades'

Chronicle photo HOLLY LUNDH A 21-gun salute is fired during Memorial Day ceremonies at Ellwood House in DeKalb on Monday.

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DeKALB - For many, Memorial Day means a day off work, the official start to summer and maybe even the chance to take advantage of a big holiday sale to buy a new mattress, Mike Breyne, a district commander with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said Monday. But for Breyne, the keynote speaker at DeKalb's Memorial Day program, the holiday's original meaning holds sway. &#8220For me, Memorial Day means we need to stop and honor our fallen comrades,” he told the several hundred people assembled at Elwood House. Breyne wasn't alone. &#8220It's our chance to remember what they did. And it's not just the soldiers in Iraq ... but Vietnam, World War I and II, even the Civil War and all of that,” said Linda Parker of DeKalb. She took two of her grandchildren, Caleb, 8, and Avery, 6, to a ceremony to honor veterans at Memorial Park. Parker, whose father and two brothers served in the armed services, said she spoke with her grandsons about &#8220what the soldiers have done” for the country. At Elwood House, DeKalb resident Chris Ziola looked at the photos of 107 Illinois service members who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan. The display was put up by members of the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice, which holds a weekly antiwar protest in downtown DeKalb. The photos reminded him of how people of both genders from different places and of different ethnic backgrounds had made the &#8220ultimate sacrifice.” Although he doesn't generally agree with the Network's positions, &#8220This was done in a tasteful manner,” he said of the display. A parade down First Street to Elwood House preceded the ceremony and speeches Monday. New to the procession this year were the American Legion Riders, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who also are members or supporters of the Legion. The group's director, Larry Houghtby, said it was started in January and has about 25 members. For Nancy Coffman and her grandson, Jack Witkop,12, the big draw Monday was the DeKalb High School marching band. &#8220They're a great band and we wanted to hear them,” Coffman said. And on a day when the temperature reached 93, Witkop said he was enjoying the weather. He and his family are from Colorado Springs, Colo., and &#8220I like the humidity,” in DeKalb, he said. Backed by members of local veterans groups and city officials, Breyne ended his address by urging the audience to take time Monday to remember the holiday's original meaning. &#8220These fallen heroes died so you and I can live our lives in freedom,” he said. And if you asked veterans what Memorial Day means to them, he added, &#8220they would suggest to you to buy your new mattress next weekend.” Chris Rickert can be reached at crickert@daily-chronicle.com.