Dedicated group honors soldiers on Veterans Day

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Veterans who performed gun salutes a various locations in Medina on Veterans Day are, from left, Steve Earl, Dan Anderson and Fred Heschke from the VFW and Steve Johnson, Glenn Whitmore and Dave Morien from the American Legion.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 November 2018 at 8:05 am

Greg Stanton, left, and Tony Vicknair served as Honor Guard for ceremonies Sunday throughout Medina to honor veterans.

MEDINA – Members of the American Legion and VFW in Medina know they have a service to perform each Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

That is to conduct a proper ceremony paying tribute to veterans living and deceased from the local area.

On Memorial Day, the veterans travel to cemeteries around Medina, placing flags on all veterans’ graves.

Each Veterans Day, however, they concentrate on ceremonies at each of the veterans’ memorials throughout the village.

This Veterans Day began with breakfast at the VFW for all participants, then loading up their rifles to begin their duties.

First stop was the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in front of the American Legion Post on North Main Street. With Jim Freas standing at attention, Dave Kusmierczak read a prayer. Then followed a gun salute and playing of Taps by Earl Schmidt, director of Orleans County Veterans’ Service Agency.

That ceremony was repeated at the Company F Memorial in front of the YMCA, the Korean Memorial on Park Avenue, the memorial tank in front of Oak Orchard School and the Butts-Clark Monument in Butt’s Park on South Main Street.

Another ceremony was performed for residents of Orchard Manor Nursing Home, and a final one at the VFW.

Participating veterans were Jim Freas, Dave Kusmierczak, Steve Johnson, Glenn Whitmore, Tony Vicknair, Fred Heschke, Bill Koneski, Dan Anderson, Steve Earl, Frank Berger, Dave Morien and Greg Stanton.

Veterans from the VFW and American Legion in Medina prepare to conduct a service Sunday morning at the memorial tank in front of Oak Orchard School.

At left, Dave Kusmierczak and Jim Freas salute in front of the Company F Memorial at the YMCA, while Earl Schmidt plays Taps. Greg Stanton and Tony Vicknair are the Honor Guard.

Veterans from the VFW and American Legion in Medina celebrated Veterans Day by conducting services at all the veterans’ memorials in Medina, as well as Orchard Manor Nursing Home. Here they are lined up in front of the American Legion for a prayer, gun salute and playing of Taps.

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