Share and Follow
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Sounds of taps filled the air in Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield as dozens gathered Monday to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It said that all who served gave some, but some gave all,” Dave Kalis, the comptroller of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, said. “Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave all for our nation and the freedoms we enjoy every day.”
The national cemetery is the final resting place of many soldiers who died fighting in wars going back all the way to the eighteenth century.
“The graves throughout these grounds are those men and women who selflessly answer the call of duty to defend the United States, those who showed an unwavering commitment and strong-willed spirit that reminds us of the true meaning of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism.” Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski said.
Budzinski was one of the keynote speakers at the ceremony. She laid a wreath to honor the fallen.
Read Related Also: A Tale of Voe: How Sean Williams earned his pseudonym
“Their dedication and sacrifice should be an inspiration to all of us,” the congresswoman said.
Veterans also attended the ceremony. Rosemary Connolly, the Sangamon County’s Veteran Council Chaplain, served in the Air Force and said the day has a special significance for her.
“Memorial Day means something to all veterans,” Connolly said. “But I think as a woman veteran, we’re also mothers. And each one of them are not only brothers, but they’re our children in a way. White passing away, you take it very personal, like that could have been mine.”
Camp Butler wasn’t always a cemetery. During the Civil War, it was used as the state’s second largest Union army training camp.
