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Memorial Day honors: Hundreds gather for
Greenwood Cemetery service
By: Molly Miron, Bemidji Pioneer
Bemidji’s traditional Memorial Day service at Greenwood Cemetery opened with the traditional posting of the colors and closed with taps played by Maija Otness and echoed by Taylor Hedges. The graves of veterans stood out decorated with American flags. Most of the other graves showed the devotion of family members with flower baskets, everlasting wreaths, and, in the case of one family, single red roses placed on the markers. Joe Vene led the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” and Ralph Gracie American Legion Post 14 Commander Pat Hede welcomed several hundred area residents who came to pay tribute to the deceased who have served their country. Post Chaplain Dan Vital read the opening prayer, asking God to teach those of us remembering the dead to cherish the values they fought for. He also draped the empty chair with the black POW/MIA flag. Vital closed with the prayer: “Let us renew our pledge of loyalty to our country.” Hede introduced the keynote speaker, Staff Sgt. John Deden, who has served in the U.S. Army, Reserves and National Guard.
He teaches at Bemidji High School since his return last year from deployment in Afghanistan. Deden outlined his military career starting when he joined the Army in 1985. He was assigned to Mount Rainier, Wash., where he taught mountaineering skills under the command of Lt. Col. Shawn Pine, a soldier whom he greatly admired. Deden joined the Army Reserve for the first Gulf War, and returned home thinking his military career was at an end. “September 11 changed my mind,” he said. He joined the National Guard and served an 18-month deployment when he served as a mentor training Afghan police officers. "My fondest memories are of my experiences with Afghan kids,” he said. He contacted a colleague in Bemidji and students and resident collected enough supplies to furnish three orphanages and schools, along with $1,000 for shipping the materials. Deden noted that the United States has now lost 1,000 soldiers in the war in Afghanistan, including his friend, Shawn Pine, with whom he had lost contact with and whom he often wondered about how he was faring. Pine was killed working for American contractors in Afghanistan. Legion Auxiliary President Kathy Ramos led into the closing of the program with a reminder that there would be a national moment of silence held at 3 p.m. Memorial Day Monday. Auxiliary Chaplain Darlene Peterson gave the benediction, and the gathering walked to the Grand Army of the Republic Monument on the west side of Greenwood Cemetery to hear Drew Gendron, BHS ROTC, deliver Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Also assisting with the program were Boy Scouts from Troops 23, 25, 80 and 82.
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