Colonel Crawford grad to speak at Memorial Day services

Press release

Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 30, 2016. Weather permitting, the day will begin with a parade forming at Washington Square at 9:00 AM. The parade will step off at 9:30 AM and head toward Oakwood Cemetery, where the program will begin at 10:00 AM. If the ground is not too wet the program will be held at the Lemert Memorial; however if there has been too much rain it will be at the columbarium, located at the north east corner of the cemetery property.

If it is raining Monday morning, the parade will be canceled and the program will be moved to Bucyrus Elementary School, 245 Woodlawn Avenue.

Boyd Long, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Boyd is a Veteran of the US Navy Submarine Service, having served during Korea and Vietnam. He also served many years as the President of the Veterans Memorial Society.

This year’s keynote speaker is Master Sergeant Laurie Heinle a 1994 graduate of Colonel Crawford High School. Sergeant Heinle is the Services Superintendent for the 179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield Lahm Airport, Ohio. She is responsible for overseeing Food Services, Fitness Program, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, Lodging, Honor Guard, and Mortuary Affairs. Sergeant Heinle enlisted in the United States Air Force on September 14, 1994. Upon completion of Basic Military Training and Technical School at Lackland Air Force Base, she served with the 28th Services Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota for a four year tour. She later transferred to the 179th Airlift Wing in 1998 where she was appointed to the position of Assistant Unit Training Manager and Unit Career Advisor of the Services section. Sergeant Heinle later cross-trained into a new career field and was the Non-commissioned Officer In Charge of the Human Resources section which led her to a full-time position with the 200th RED HORSE Squadron, Camp Perry, Air Guard Station, Port Clinton, Ohio from 2008-2013. Sergeant Heinle has participated in numerous stateside and overseas deployments to include both Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM to support the Global War on Terrorism. Sergeant Heinle has received the following major Awards and Decorations: Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and three oak leaf clusters, Combat Readiness Medal, Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal, Air Force Overseas Ribbon Short with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Longevity Service with four oak leaf clusters, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 2 ‘M’ devices, USAF NCO PME Graduate Ribbon, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship ribbon, and Air Force Training Ribbon. Sergeant Heinle resides in Bucyrus with her husband Scott and their four children, Kalyn, Grant, Andrew, and Samuel.

This year’s Parade Marshal will be Tom Schiefer a Vietnam Army Veteran. Tom also serves on the American Legion Honor Guard.

The Assistant Parade Marshals this year are all Active Duty Personnel. Any Veteran who would like to be in the parade is welcome to participate. There will be vehicles, provided by The Car Guys Auto Sales, 1780 E. Mansfield Street, available to drive those in need. Members of Moose Lodge 669 will serve as drivers. We would also like to see area Boy & Girl Scouts Troops participate in the parade. Those interested should meet at Washington Square at 9:00 AM.

Pastor Michael Greenler St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (Bucyrus) will give the Invocation and Benediction. Pastor Mike is an Army Veteran of the Vietnam War serving from 1972-1975. He served as an Intelligence Analyst with the 7th Special Forces Group from 1972-1974. Then 1974-1975 he was an Image Interpreter with the 281th Military Intelligence Detachment supporting the XVII Airborne Corp.

The Bucyrus High School Marching Band will play the National Anthem. General John A. Logan’s General Order No. 11, designating May 30th as the day to remember our nation’s war dead, will be read by Bucyrus High School graduate Jacob Bloomfield. Fellow BHS Graduate Catherine Pojman will recite President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The Bucyrus Middle School Marching Band will play Hail Columbia. The Salute to the Dead will be presented by the Honor Guard from Colonel Crawford American Legion Post 181, followed by the playing of Taps by Bucyrus High School Junior Kayleigh Seiber, and the Echo by BHS Sophomore Austin Edgington.

The program will once again be broadcast live over WBCO Radio.

This week members of the Veterans Memorial Society have placed more than 3,500 flags on the graves of Veterans in Bucyrus and surrounding township cemeteries. The Veterans Memorial Society is a group of honorably discharged Veterans from all wars and peace time. They meet three to four times a year to prepare for the Memorial Day Services and place flags on the graves of area Veterans in observance of Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Remember to fly your flag every day if possible, but especially on holidays. Remember also that the proper way to display the flag on Memorial Day is to fly it at half-staff until noon and then back to full-staff after noon.

American Legion Post 181 located at 123 E. Rensselaer Street will be having a Hog Roast after the Services from 11:00 AM until gone. This meal is free to all honorably discharged and active duty Veterans, though family and friends may join for a freewill donation.