By Mary Compton
Monday was a time to remember people who you can’t forget. About 100 residents gathered at The Mound in Chicago Heights to remember those who gave their lives for our country, Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez reminded those in attendance.
“Today is often treated just as a holiday, and the real meaning is forgotten,” Gonzalez said.
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“We should never forget those who died so that we could enjoy our freedom. We cannot and should not forget the past. It formed us. It made us what we are. It is thanks to those who died in battle that we have the life we live now.”
For 73-year-old Erich Guenther of Chicago Heights, Monday was the first Memorial Day service he has ever attended.
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“Today I’m remembering my friend Doyle Williams who passed away in 1961,” says Guenther. “He was my friend, he died at 19 years old. I didn’t know where he was buried until I attended my 50-year high school reunion.“
Three years ago, Guenther traveled to Lawrence, Kansas, to pay tribute to his friend.
“I bought a six-pack, cracked opened a beer, poured it on his grave and told him that was the drink we were supposed to have together.”
World War II veterans and Chicago Heights residents Norman Ohlendorf and Bud Kurth were one of the first veterans from Chicago Heights to take part in Honor Flight, a program that brings WWII vets to Washington, D.C., to see the WWII Memorial.
“It was amazing to take part in that," says Kurth.
He was showing his photo from World War II to all who were sitting around him at the Memorial Ceremony.
“Today I come here to pay tribute to all the guys who didn’t come back.”Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
