Edwardsburg pays respect to veterans with annual parade, ceremony

By DEB PERRIN, Tribune Correspondent

Tools

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: May 25, 2009 at 2:34 PM EST

Story Updated: May 25, 2009 at 2:34 PM EST

EDWARDSBURG — Firetruck sirens wailed and children held their ears as the annual Memorial Day parade began.

The Edwardsburg American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts honored America’s fallen soldiers, veterans and active members of the armed forces on Monday.

Leading the parade, the VFW and Legion color guard stopped in front of the Edwardsburg Veterans Memorial, where the Edwardsburg High School band played the national anthem while the flag was raised.

After a prayer and speeches, there was a 21-gun salute followed with "Taps" played by VFW and Legion member Adam Reynolds.

As the parade resumed, the streets lined with clusters of adults and children weaving in and out and grabbing candy thrown from the floats.

Four-year-old Jacob Purlee, with his mother, Lisa Purlee, of Niles, wildly waved his two American Flags.

Jacob said he liked the parade because he likes tractors.

Jacob wasn’t disappointed, there were lots of tractors, large and small.

Sitting away from the crowd wrapped in her red quilt, Marissa Mather, 7, quietly curled up next to the veterans monument. As her little fingers traced the letters carved in cold granite she said she wanted to look closer at the grave for all the soldiers.

As the parade wound down the crowds moved to the carnival area near the lake.

Prior to the parade, the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum bestowed its annual citizenship award — named for John B. Sweetland — upon retired Edwardsburg teacher Vera Slechtova. Slechtova had quite and interesting life as a child raised under communism.

While still a young teacher in Czechoslovakia, Slechtova made a harrowing escape to freedom. Her move to the United States was sponsored by the Krasl family in St. Joseph.

Eventually, Slechtova earned a teaching degree from Michigan State University and moved to Edwardsburg, where she taught until she retired in the late ’80s.

During and after her teaching career she was well known for escorting small groups of senior citizens and her students on popular, off-the-beaten-path tours of Europe.

Sweetland was a Civil War Army surgeon, a practicing Edwardsburg physician, newspaper publisher and politician.

More Good Stuff

WSBT Weather

Current Temp 57.7

More Weather

WSBT Weather

More Weather

On Demand

iPhone
Get the WSBT News and Irish Sports Report apps for your iPhone! Read more »
On DVD
Order a DVD of a WSBT news story! Read more »
Twitter
Follow us on Twitter! Read more »
Facebook
Connect with us on Facebook! Read more »
WSBT E-News
Daily StormTracker e-mails right to your Inbox! Read more »
Video On Demand
Miss a story on WSBT News? Watch it here! Read more »
CBS Shows
Watch CBS shows and news online, free! Read more »
WSBT Alert
Breaking News & Weather right to your cell phone! Read more »
Mobile
WSBT News on the go for your cell phone or PDA. Read more »
RSS Feeds
Get news and updates as soon as they're published. Read more »

Stock Quotes

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.