There were multiple Memorial Day ceremonies hosted throughout Perry County. It was an opportunity to remember the sacrifices of those who have paid the ultimate price for their country.
One of those ceremonies took place on the courthouse square in Perryville.
Perry County Clerk Jared Kutz noted that we should want to do great things to honor those who died in battle serving the United States.
“The very fabric of our country is woven with the yarn of sacrifices of soldiers that have given their lives,” he said. “In their honor we should aspire to have a higher purpose of community and country. We can continue to honor them in these two ways.”
Kevin P Robinson, COL (USA Retired) was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. He is a former military aviator who started his military career as an enlisted heavy equipment mechanic with Co B 1140th Engineers in Perryville. Kevin served in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force for nearly 29 years. During this time, he logged several thousand accident-free maintenance test pilot hours in the UH-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, OH-58 Kiowa and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. Fixed wing aircraft include the C-23 Sherpa and the C-12 Huron. After retiring from the military, he has directed Risk Management programs for Jet Aviation, business development for Robinson Construction, and logistics and process.
He said that Memorial Day is more than the start of summer.
“Today is more than discount sales and barbeques,” Robinson said. “Understanding history is influential in how we got where we are today.”
Another Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Missouri National Veterans Memorial on Monday with Stan Shurmantine serving as the guest speaker. Hired as the MNVM Event Specialist in 2021, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Army and assigned to Infantry Officers Basic Course. Upon graduation from IOBC he was assigned to the Second Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea, as a rifle platoon leader and subsequently as a rifle company commander. Upon return from Korea in 1977, he was discharged from active duty and placed in the U.S. Army Reserve where he served for 26 years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2003.
Shurmantine noted that every freedom that is enjoyed in the United States was paid for by an American soldier.
“Every hot dog and burger that we enjoy today was purchased by a soldier and something we can never fully repay,” he said. “The one constant about this day is to pay tribute to those we have lost.”
That number, Shurmantine said. is difficult to truly measure.
“One number is in excess 1.3 million,” he said. “One thing to keep In mind is that the wall behind me contains the names of 58, 821 individuals killed in the Vietnam War. We can’t even be sure that number is correct because five names were added just last year.”
Shurmantine went on to tell a personal story about his time during the Korean War, where a simple tree trimming project turned ugly, resulting in many deaths.
He noted that the soldiers aren’t the only ones who suffered or suffer on Memorial Day.
“We should always remember the mothers and fathers who lost their sons, the spouses who lost their loved ones,” he said. “They should also be thought of on Memorial Day.”
