Honoring the war dead

People young and old attended the annual Memorial Day ceremonies on the Hill County Courthouse lawn.

Willard Langlois sat in a lawn chair on 3rd Avenue, looking to the podium on the west lawn. He's a regular at the ceremonies. He said he never misses an opportunity to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for the United States.

He served in the Navy in the Pacific for 22 months during World War II.

"I come every year," he said. "I don't know if I will come next year," he said, smiling. "You can tell I have a number of years on me. But I still get around pretty well."

His wife Irene sat at his side.

"We just have to honor the people who served this country," she said.

A few feet away, Jamie Malsam and his 4-year-old daughter, Clara, stood, waiting for the ceremonies to begin. Clara and Jamie carried cameras to capture the ceremonies in photos.

Clara was too shy to explain her patriotism, but Jamie said he comes to honor family members.

"I have come for the last five years," Jamie said.

"My wife's dad, Les Johnson, is a member of the honor guard," he said.

The crowd at the courthouse observed a traditional Memorial Day service.

Young people played a part in the ceremonies.

Boy Scouts presented the colors, and members of the boys' chorus at Havre High School sang the national anthem.

Bill Bilger, commander of the Veterans of Foreign War, read the number of area veterans who died during the past year.

Then Bilger, American Legion Commander Les Johnson and members of the Elks Club paraded through a row of American flags carrying wreaths that were laid at the monument at 3rd Avenue and 4th Street.

Prayers were recited, and the services were adjourned to the nearby Havre Elks Club for further tributes to the war dead and explanation of the American flag and what it stands for.

Guest speaker Capt. Chauncey Parker, vice commander of the American Legion at Rocky Boy, emphasized the importance of remembering those who had fallen while in service.

Parker, who served two terms in Iran and one in Afghanistan, told the story of an Ohio youngster, Miles Eckart, who found a $20 bill in the parking lot at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. He looked forward to buying a video game with his newly found money

But when he got inside the restaurant, he saw a soldier in uniform. He wanted to pay tribute to those who served, so he gave the money to the soldier.

Miles' father, was killed in combat when Miles was 4 months old, and he grew up with reverence for our fighting forces, Parker said.

Nothing can bring back those killed in action to the friends and relatives left behind, he said.

"But we can offer them a shoulder to cry on," he said.

Also at the service, the Havre High boys choir sang "Tell My Father," a Civil War song telling of a soldier's message to his father not to cry if he is killed in combat, but to be proud of his work.

Carol Johnson of the Legion Auxiliary explained the meaning of a POW/MIA table set up in the front of the Elks meeting room.

There was a single setting at the dinner table for the POW/MIA.

There was a single setting to emphasize the loneliness MIAs must feel, she said. And it was small to represent the feeling the MIAs feel in relation to their oppressors.

"We need to get a proper accounting for our comrades," she said.