Memorial day, a day set aside for us to remember the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, our Veterans. We also keep in memory friends and family who have gone on before us:

Good Morning and God Bless all who keep and have kept our Country safe.

Wow

In loving Memory of our dear friend Ben, who committed suicide 8 years ago today, after doctors gave him the wrong drugs for his condition, causing him to lose his mind. We remember you, Ben... Always.

Good morning. A special Thank you to all vets today. Especially to those who fought in WWII as they are certainly our senior vets these days. Both my father and mother were Navy in WWII. Mom was stateside at Great Lakes but my father was in the thick of things in the Pacific theater winning 3 Bronze Stars as an officer on a LST. What my father saw was so horrifying that he never talked about it. We didn't know about the awards until after he died. I'll bet many vets hold just such things inside. Pray for they and hold this day in true homeage to all great vets that keep us free. Yesterday, today, and always!

Good morning from East Houghton on a very cold and rainy morning. A special thank you to all of our veterans--especially my 85 year old father who was in the Navy during WWII....he served on a troop transport and only recently has started talking about his war experiences.

Good Morning, Thank you to all our veterans and those serving our country today. My father served in WWII also. He wouldn't talk about or even watch war movies. He passed away 2 weeks ago and is greatly missed.

Robert Simpson
Susan Simpson
Suzanne Spruytte
Joe Berry
John "Mr Bud Vargo"
Snowball. Our little mixed terrier.
May our Lord Bless and Protect all of our Military. May he also continue to Bless and Protect this great country we live in.

Please Remember the servicemen and women who died this month in the service of our country.Adam W Estep,Martin W Kondor,Landis W Garrison,Jason B Dwelley,Christopher M Dickerson,Esau G Patterson Jeffery F Dayton,Ryan M Campbell,James L Beckstrand,Justin B Schmidt,Ryan E Reed,Norman Darling,Jeremy ricardo Ewing,Trevor A Wine,Phillip L Witkowski,Scott M Vincent,Joshua S Wilfong,Ervin Caradine Jr,Jeremy L Drexler,Oscar D Vargas-Medina,Ramon C Ojeda,Joshua S Ladd,Kendall Thomas,John E Tipton,Michael C Anderson,Trace W Dossett,Scott R McHugh,Robert B Jenkins,Ronald A Ginther,Todd E Nunes,Erickson H Petty,Ronald E Baum,Jessie R Buryi,Christopher J Kenny,Marvin R Sprayberry 3ed,Gregory L Wahl,Lyndon A Marcus Jr,Jeffrey G Green,James E Marshall,Bradley G Kritzer,Dustin H Schrage,Brandon J Wadman,Hesley Box Jr,James J Holmes,Chase R Whitman,Isela Rubalcava,Philp D Brown,Ronald R Payne Jr,Rodney A Murray,Andrew L Tuazon,Kyle A Brinlee,Jeffery R Shaver,Jeremiah E Savage,Brud J cronkrite,Edward C Barnhill,Philp I Spakosky,Michael A Mora,Rene Ledesma,Leonard M Cowherd,Pedro I Espallat Jr,Bruce E Price,Brian K Cutter,Brandon C Sturdy,Mark J Kasecky,Carl F Curran,James W Harlan,Bob W Roberts,Joseph P Garyantes,Marcos O Nolasco,William D Carey,Michael C Campbell,Leslie D Jackson,Troy LMiranda,Rury Salas,Jeremy R Horton,Andrew J Zabierek,Jorge A MolinaBautista,Jeremy L Ridlin,Beau R Beaulien,Owen D Witt,Alan N Besn,Kevin F Sheehan,Richard H Rosas,James P Lambert,Daniel P Unger,Kyle W Codner,Matthew C Henderson,-Two pending notification of next of kin,Keith Maupin POW. 806 KIA---4682 WIA.

This picture reminded me of all the beautiful sunsets we watched over the years at our cottage at Bootjack and my father, Gary Curtin who served with honor aboard he USS Iowa (BB 61) during the Korean War. Although he is no longer with us he is in our thoughts everyday but is remembered with a special pride this Memorial Day.

In memory of my dad.. Joseph D. Nagle a WWII vet who served in the Pacific Theater and also in Alaska while they built the Alaskan Highway. Dad died in August of 1999 at the age of 80 but his memory lives on on my heart. It is in his memory that I march in Memorial Day Parades.

To all vets in both peace & war time we owe you a debt of gratitude. THANK YOU!

In memory of my brother Bob who passed away on May 10, 2000. Bob gave over 20 years in service to his country. Not only was he my brother, he was my best friend. He is missed by all...

Anthony Franklin Haven (1905-1970)

In memory of my father, who died 34 years ago yesterday, who
served in the WWII as Captain, U.S. Army. I wish he could have
been at the dedication ceremony in Washington this week end.
He was proud of his service, but never spoke much about it.

In memory of my Dad, Keith G. Johnson, 8th ID, 28th Infantry - 'Black Lions' - and his service in WWII and the Battle of the Bulge. Wish he had lived to see this wonderful memorial to the WWII troops. I miss you Daddy!

May God watch over and protect our troops everywhere. God bless them for their service to America.

Freedom is not Free!

J.C.Holt,who was held prisoner by the Japanese;R.D. Gainey, C.D. Holt who served in the Pacific: Bob Coder, who served in both theaters;Opal Coder, who was a "Rosie the riveter"; John Dinoti, a Japanese POW; Don Sadler, who was a paratrooper in the European theater; George Huber who served in the European theater; Leon Vance,Desmond Witt.
We salute those who have gone on and cherish those who are still with us.

In memory of my Grandma's brother Arnie Sillanpaa, a member of the 634th Tank Destroyer Battalion who made the ultimate sacrifice in Belgium defending the northern shoulder during the Battle of the Bulge during WW II. http://pasty.com/pcam/album76/arnie2

GOD BLESS OUR VETS! All of them, past, present AND future.

My hat is off. Much love and light!

Remembering my Uncle John Rantanen. WW1
Whent to France and never came back. Missed by
his family.

Remembering Eldon Galbraith and Helen Galbraith both served in the U.S. Army during WW2 at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C.

Tom Mueller
Jim Carstens


I miss you guys.

A special Memorial Day for our World War II vets....thanks for all you have done, your courage and valor. And thanks to our men and women overseas as they continue the legacy-stay safe. And on a lighter note......I am not going to need to pack a parka for my trip over the fourth, am I??????

In Memory:
Robert Anderson MacDonald 10/25/1944, North Apennines campaign, Italy. (uncle)
Alfred (Al) Boorman, Jr. 03/04/1984 (father)
Donald Tyler 08/16/1985 (brother-in-law)

In memory of my uncles who served in WW2,Howard Sands in New Guinea and the Philippines and Edward Sands who was in Pattons 3ed Army in the ETO and my cousin John Walitalo who served in the Aleutians. God bless all who answered the call.

In memory of Grampa Buck. World War One vet. He died of a heart attack brook trout fishing. The way he wanted to go, with a creel full of "keepers". Well, they were "keepers" to him.

In memory of Dad,Chester H. Maki, WWII, Ryukrus,
Okinawa, Purple Heart, 5-23-45. Passed Nov. 20, 2003. Greatly missed. In memory of Uncle Ramon and Uncle Roman, who also served in Okinawa and Europe.

A beautiful ceremony was held this morning at 9 am in Lake Linden for our WWII veterans with eleven in attendance...Thank you gentlemen for a job well done....and to Post 90 for a fine tribute..
God Bless our troops in harms way today...and to all that served...Semper Fi!

Sharon Kumlin

Leo Sved.
He servived Pearl Harbor and returned to the
UP to raise four kids with his wife.
He was a good man.

In memory of my Dad, Peter Pini, who served during World War II...Thanks Dad!

Remembering my dad who was in the Navy....
passed Feb 28 2000 .. Ralph Chynoweth ... was
born in Calumet...

Big thank you to all vets today and all days.
Does anyone know of another U.P. site with daily pictures? not that its as good as this :)

In memory of my father, James Joseph ("Jimmie") Gallagher. He served in the Navy during WWII, joining in 1942 when he was 38 years old. He died in 1988 and would have been 100 four weeks ago today.

In memory of Robert J. Murray, USMC. Rob was due to be discharged from the Marines just six weeks before his helicopter went down in the ocean off Okinawa in 1985. We had gone to high school together. I'd gotten married 18 months before, and had just had my first baby. I was so excited that Rob was going to come home so he could see the baby, when I saw the newspaper article "Ferndale Marine Won't Have His Homecoming". My heart broke. Rob was a gentle man, and a friend to all. He is still missed by many. His body was never recovered. FHS 1981.

In honor of my 83-y.o. dad, Carl Klenner, of Houghton,
who served in the USNavy during WWII. While most
Navy presence was in the Pacific Theatre, Dad was
stationed in Dunkeswell, England with Fleet Air Wing 7.
FAW-7 patrolled and protected the Bay of Biscay with
Liberators. My dad now has Alzheimer's... and his
stories are secreted away in his past... I feel very
motivated to ask all readers of this that if your loved
one served in WWII or any other war, please don't wait
for the stories.... ask them about it, and ask NOW. In a
very strange way, I am posting this in memory of my
dad's memory itself, even though he is still with us.

In memory of my Dad, Donald Holman, who passed away 19 yrs. ago-May 27th. Also remembering today, his best fishing pal, Doc Wyble.

In memory of my father, Ransom Cundy Jr. who was among the thousands of men who invaded Iwa Jima in World War II and was one of the truly lucky men to survive that horrific battle. He never spoke about it and I only found out about his war experiences after his death. He lost his life in a battle to save his life on the Str. Edmnd Fitzgerald in 1975. I'd like to thank all of the men and women who have fought their own battles in our wars to preserve our freedom. Today is meant to honor these people, that is what Memorial Day is. Also let's pray for our young generation who are presently fighting in this war and for the ones who have already given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. God Bless America!!

Mary, Thank you for the picture of Uncle Peter,.. Great picture.. He looks so much like my Dad George. Thanks Again and God Bless all our Servicemen.

In memory of my Bro-in law Ken Anderson whose cremains were buried today in a Miltary funeral in Houghton. Ken served in the Navy in WWII. I
remember also my brother Norb Spellich who served in Korea on the 38th Parallel(sp?) Norb passed away 5 yrs ago. Miss you both! In Honor of my husband Hal, who served in the Navy in WWII and My brother John Spellich Jr. who also served in Korea. Thanks to them and all of our Military people living and deceased.

Mary Drew, Did you have a sister Pat? She went to $Bay H.S. and hung around with my cousin Sharon Stahl Anderson.

Fran, GA,
Pat is a cousin....as is Theresa in Colorado, HI Theresa!

Very handsome picture of "Uncle Bob". Always in our minds and forever in our hearts. Thank you Dave for the picture. A peaceful memorial day to all.

In memory of Richie Podner and Edsel Isaacson who passed away this month. The 2 of them were nice neighbors.

Alexander Koski
WWI
b. Hancock August 7, 1894
d. Detroit May 20, 1962
Remained a quintessential Finnish-Yooper all his Detroit days!

In loving memory of my Grandma -EDITH JENICH- who passed on May 19th, 1999. We love and miss you Grandma J!

In memory of Noble E. Burger, father to JoAnn Moore of westland, Michigan passed away on the 29th of this month, we will miss him dearly


George & Joann Moore

Remembering my Daughter JILL MARIE OUTINEN today,who passed away on 12/30/93, at the age of 14. If I had a single flower for every thought of you Jill, I could walk in my garden forever. Always on my mind, and forever in my heart.

Bruce & Family, in memory of your Mom Sharon Fergusson who passed away in May 2004.

MARY you always seem to out do yourself absolutely fantastic picture wish i could obtain a copy and heartfelt sympathies for losses of loved ones i remain walter p

Remembering my Dad, Ronnie Walstrom, who passed away 25 years ago on 3 May 1979. I think of you and miss you every day.

Sherry,

Yes Jill is missed and not only by you.

I can still recall when my mom told me about the accident... My heart sank..

I wish may daughters could have gotten to know her..

Your neighbor, Jon

Sunday evening, I tuned in to "60 Minutes" and watched (listened) as I was doing some paperwork. I suddenly realized that I was hearing background music, but no talking. When I looked up, I saw picture after picture of service men and women going by. When I saw the picture of Paul Johnson, I realized that these were all pictures of our deceased military. We hear, day after day, that so many have been killed that day - to see all the faces was heartbreaking. I thank CBS and the show for putting faces to the statistics we hear.

Today I thank all of the people who have served their country.
Ed Kolka, my neighbor and high school classmate , gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country in Vietnam. When I went to his funeral all of Dollar Bay was crammed into the church (just a block or so
from the school). It was one of the saddest days of my life.
God bless you,Ed.

Stewart

In memory of Mike Nagle, who passed on 5/28/04. We had a great business relationship, and an even better friendship! I'll miss you my friend!

In memory of Steve Diljak, who served in the Army during World War Two and who passed away today. He was born and raised in Calumet. He will be missed.

In memory of my 2 uncles that never returned from WWII, WALTER TRONT, shot down in his plane, and CHESTER DUDZINSKI, whose ship was torpedoed. I never met them, but I will someday.

For Mom, Betty Beckius , nurse WWII, at
83 next week still is very active in the South
Range Vets. In memory of father Jerome
"Beck" who served in the Pacific.
Thanks to all vets.

In memory of Gene Raymond Koski , the only casualty of Keweenaw County killed in Viet Nam.
Love and miss ya' Bro.

In memory of my sister in law, Karen Nan Vlamis and my dearest friend Wayne Carlson (of Escanaba and Suomi College).
I work at a radio station connected with Wheaton College here in Illinois. My Sunday morning show has three church services from 3 local churches. While they all brought up Memorial day, the last service at Wheaton Evan. Free Church had an Army Chapel give the service, and they played tabs at the end. Very moving. Made sure I mentioned over the air our debt to our veterans. Wasn't on the original script.

I was also privileged to see 60 Minutes on Sunday evening, as they very respectfully showed photos of every single one of the over 800 service men and women who have been lost in Iraq. It moved me to tears to realize each of these brave souls was a precious person with many loved ones who have been left behind, and to see that many of the men and women were so very young. Out of respect to each one, I watched the entire 15 minutes. Although I did not know them personally, it felt like the least I could do to honor those who gave their lives for freedom. The music accompanying the images was beautiful but yet so sad. That feeling of sadness has remained with me on this Memorial Day, and I have felt gratitude for those who now serve our Country, and also for those who have sacrificed so much for us in Vietnam and World War II. God Bless America!

In honor of Sgt. John H. Levijoki (Big John) served in U.S. Army in the Vietnam era in Korea and Germany. Sadly missed by his family and all who loved him, he went to Heaven on August 11, 1996.

Junior Levista--from blue jacket who died POW korea

Jerry Marsy WWII
Kenneth Aho Korea
"Sonny" Matson Korea

In memory of my uncle, Boyce Rafferty, who died on Okinawa in World War II. He died in May, but the family didn't receive notification until the 4th of July. Communication was so different back then.

In memory of my dad, Bill Givens who passed away on 10/23/03. We miss him more and more everyday.

In memory of my grandfathers, Tapio and Mala.

I, too, saw the 60 Minutes presentation of all of our fallen countrymen and women in Iraq. My chest tightened as the faces of them scrolled by and I was moved to tears by it. So sad to think of all of that potential lost. I looked into the eyes of each and every one of those 800+ people as they went by. They truly gave everything they had for us...

In memory of my grandfather, Joseph Eugene Whitlatch, WW1 veteran, died in Flint, 1943.

In fond memory of my Great Aunt and Great Uncle Baril of Lake Linden. I looked at them as if they were my grandparents. My Auntie Martha's cookstove now resides in Eagle River. My Uncle's garden swing is also in Eagle River too. I miss you Auntie Martha and Uncle Roland.

I'd like to mention my two uncles who served in WWII, Clem and Roy Cassette. Clem was the postmaster of Mohawk for many years. Both are gone now. :(

A little late but readings these brought to mind so good friends that left too soon but made memories that will last forever.

Glenn Peterson (Petie - Ya bye Pyte)
Steve Bracco

TAPS

If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which taps were
played; this brings out a new meaning of it.

Here is something Every American should know. Until I
read this, I didn't know, but I checked it out and it's true:

We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps". It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.

But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other
side of the narrow strip of land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or
Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the
stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.

When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was
actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted.

The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.

The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.

But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him
only one musician.

The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series
of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the
dead youth's uniform.

This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" ... used at
military funerals was born.

The words are ...

Day is done .. Gone the sun ... From the lakes
...From the hills
From the sky ... All is well . Safely rest ..God is
nigh
...
Fading light ... Dims the sight .. And a star ...
Gems the sky ...
Gleaming bright ... From afar .. Drawing nigh Falls
the night
...
Thanks and praise ... For our
days ... Neath the sun ... Neath
the stars...Neath the sky ... As we
go . This we know .. God is nigh
...
I, too, have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along.

I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did
before.

Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their Country.

And also those presently serving in the Armed Forces..

remembering marshall kipena viet naum

While heartwarming, that story about Taps is an urban legend. See snopes.com for the details.

Regardless of the origin, it's a haunting tune, and the reason for it to be played never fails to make me cry.

Thanks to my Dad (Bob Christensen, 83, WW2 vet-33rd Golden Cross Division, 108th Combat Engineers Btn, Co. B) and all vets past, present and future for our freedoms.

In memory of Gene Raymond Koski , the only casualty of Keweenaw County killed in Viet Nam.
Gene and I were both Mohawk grade and Calumet high school buddies. We both were career soldiers and served multible tours of Vietnam. God Bless Gene

Giving a view, or your "current" vets, from Operation Iraqi Freedom:
Matthew Jackson
Nanu Houle
Alan Ollenketo
Mathew Kallio
Joshua Baakko (heh, myself)

and anyone else that out there now, becoming, or, just became a vet...
(sorry if I misspelt them, not a good time of night for me right now... to much work)

God bless all that have served or are serving our country! My heart goes to you all. Sgt.Thomas Middleton Austin, if you are reading, may you be safe. And to Heather Carey, and her daughter Mia Carey--my sympathy is with you in the loss of you husaband and father. It is so hard to be strong in trying times like these, but know that the Lord is with you, and that some people do care.

God Bless EVERYONE In The Military.

THANK YOU IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.

<3

BE SAFE AND YA'LL NEED TO COME HOME.

The U.P. of Michigan has always presented Patriots and their loving service to America!

God Bless Them All! We will never forget their love of our country!

Kim Peyser
Santa Cruz, CA

And Bootjack Road

Dear Phil Witkowski- I know you are heaven smiling down on your two beautiful boys, but I wish you could have seen Kyle take his frist steps or watch Kaleb take his first ride on a jet ski this last summer. The things you miss & will never see because you took the ultimate oth to serve & defend our country & for that your boys will always be proud of you. when they are old enough to know & understand what happened to you they will realize what a true hero you are. We all greatly miss you, but know one miss you more then Tina I see her struggle everyday & only wish I could take all her hurt, pain, anger, & sadness away from her. Phil we all miss you, thank you for serving our country so proudly & i am here watching over your boys. Phile died on May 1, 2004 while helping with OPeration Induring Freedom
Love yah lots, Allison

In loving memory of my brother Fred who was killed in
action in Vietnam and my Uncle Bud who was killed in
Iwa Jima. They lost their lives so that we could live free
in the greatest country in the world.