10th annual South Side Memorial Day Parade in Auburn Gresham neighborhood

No matter your race, color or creed.

So says Leonard Murray, a Vietnam War veteran attending the South Side Memorial Day Parade on Monday for the first time.

“I’m from an Army family,” Murray said. “My dad served in World War II, my brother served in Korea, I had cousins who served. So this is important, serving our country. Despite some limitations that we might have as Black people, this is our country.

“The military strength is important. It’s really what keeps us safe and free.”

The South Side Memorial Day Parade, the 10th annual, stepped off Monday morning in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood. The event began at 10 a.m. with a wreath ceremony at St. Leo’s Residence for Veterans, located at 7750 South Emerald Avenue. The parade procession then kicked off at 11 a.m., heading west on 79th Street before it culminates in after-parade festivities at Veterans New Beginnings, located at 8140 South Racine Avenue.

The event included honorary guests, live music, free food and more.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient who retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, delivered a keynote speech.

The South Side Memorial Day Parade is a celebration honoring veterans living in the 17th Ward and throughout the city. Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) started the parade 10 years ago. It was started, in part, to honor Commander Robert Davis, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1951-55. Davis died last year at age 81.

Moore is now renaming the parade. Going forward it will be known as the Commander Robert Davis South Side Memorial Day Parade.

“People in the community care about our veterans,” Moore said Monday. “When I became alderman in 2015, the veterans in this St. Leo’s veterans home said, ‘Hey, we don’t feel a part of what goes on downtown, and we want our own parade.’

“I said, ‘We’ll make that happen.'”

Another ceremony was held in Chicago’s Grant Park at the General John A. Logan statue. Logan, who was from Illinois, was instrumental in the establishment of Memorial Day after the Civil War.

“May God bless these families and grant them the strength that only God can provide,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the ceremony.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s father and uncle served in World War II. Preckwinkle said fallen service members helped preserve democracy.

“They defended our values and our freedom. They gave their lives so we could live our lives freely,” she said.

Here are just some of the other Memorial Day events happening Monday around Chicagoland:

Aurora

Memorial Day Parade

• Began at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Benton Street and River Street.
• Features local veterans groups, military organizations, marching bands and more.
• Arlen Peterson, longtime Aurora resident, active community member and cancer survivor, is grand marshal.

Elgin

Annual Memorial Day Observance

• The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, in cooperation with the City of Elgin, is hosting a series of commemorative events at memorial sites and cemeteries across the city, which began at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude with a traditional program at Bluff City Cemetery.
• 8:30 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery, 1001 Villa Street: A combined color guard presented the colors, followed by a rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
• 9 a.m. at Lakewood Memorial Park, 30W730 U.S. 20: A service as held at the Garden of Honor to recognize those buried at the cemetery, and the program included a combined color guard, rifle salute and Taps.
• 9:40 a.m. at Elgin Veterans Memorial Park, 274 North Grove Avenue: Hosted by the Elgin Navy Club and the Elgin Marine Corps League, featured a performance by the Elgin Master Chorale. The program honored veterans interred at sea and concluded with the strewing of flowers into the Fox River, a rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
• 11 a.m. at Bluff City Cemetery, 945 Bluff City Boulevard: A local tradition since 1868, the family-oriented event includes a special tribute marking the 75th anniversary of the Korean War. The program features performances by the Larkin High School Band and the Elgin Master Chorale.
• Visit elginmemorialday.org for more information.

Wheaton

Memorial Day Parade

• Hosted by American Legion Post 76.
• Parade began at 10 a.m. at Memorial Park and travelled west on Union Avenue then south on West Street (which becomes Warrenville Road), before ending at Wheaton Cemetery with a ceremony led by American Legion Post 76.