Story and photos by William Smith
Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, there was no official Memorial Day service on Monday in Burlington and West Burlington.
However, people still visited the Mississippi Valley Veterans Memorial in West Burlington, eager to pay tribute to America’s fallen heroes.
The Burlington Area Veterans Honor Guard arrived before the light crowd, working out a truncated ceremony on the spot. The crowd stood at a distance, clustered into small groups of those who arrived together.
Dressed in full uniform, Burlington veteran Mike McCullough read a short speech from the podium, highlighting the importance and origin of Memorial Day. Behind him, black stone slabs etched with the names of the local fallen glinted in the sunlight.
Burlington honor guard member Curt Daughters and Larry Shacklett folded the American flag 13 times. Fellow honor guard member Jim Holtkamp stood beside them and explained the significance of each fold.
Honor guard member Dennis Brobston played taps on his trumpet under the memorial arch, his fellow veterans standing solemnly, holding their rifles in front of them.
The honor guard then stood side-by-side as McCullough saluted them, pointing their rifles at the sky. Empty shells fell to the ground with every rifle crack, a traditional salute to their fallen brothers and sisters.
Ten minutes after it began, the service ended, and the veterans gingerly bent down to collect their spent shells — another Memorial Day tradition of politeness and respect.
Michael Knotts of West Burlington visited the memorial Monday morning to find his father’s name on the stone tablets. Knotts served in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1972. His grandfather also served — as did his uncle, a cousin, and other family members.
“I like to come out here every once in a while,” Michael Knotts said.
The temperature rising with every minute, the veterans cheerily chatted with the crowd and each other then went about their way. They will be back next year, same day, same time.