Rockford honors fallen servicemen with solemn Memorial Day ceremony

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — There wasn’t a dry eye in the house at a solemn remembrance ceremony at Veterans Memorial Hall, honoring loved ones, friends, and other servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“Memorial Day is not just a holiday. It is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by those who wore the uniform. These heroes defended our freedoms and never returned home,” said Winnebago County Chairman Joseph Chiarelli.

The service followed Rockford’s annual Memorial Day Parade through downtown.

“It’s so important to honor those who have lost their lives, who gave up their life for our freedoms and to be able to honor them is what we should be doing every day. So hopefully today, everyone can take a moment to remember what it costs for freedom,” Chiarelli said.

“I think what moves me, especially this morning, is my little daughter gave me a note that said, Thank you for your service and please don’t go away to the army that long again. And I kind of teared up a little bit. And then it made me think of all the fathers and mothers and even brothers and sisters who didn’t come home back to their families,” said 2nd Ward Ald. Jonathan Logeman, who also serves with the Illinois Army National Guard.

“When you think about the solemn nature of the sacrifice that we make, being home from our families or even possibly making the ultimate sacrifice, it just makes me so proud to be a part of the United States Army. Especially on a day when we think about those who did pay that ultimate sacrifice,” Logeman continued.