Former chief: ‘We should thank our vets every day’
By Sean Barron
The program in McDonald included a musical tribute to the soldiers in Iraq.
MCDONALD — Too often, Memorial Day is viewed as little more than a day off school or work and a time to hit the malls, which is something Jim Tyree would like to see changed.
“We should thank our vets every day we get up in the morning for our freedoms,” said Tyree of McDonald, who served four years in the Navy and was the village police chief before retiring in 1998.
It’s up to parents and other adults to educate youngsters about the contributions service personnel have made to the country to preserve many freedoms, he continued.
Tyree added that he was happy to see a large number of children in Woodland Park at Monday’s annual Memorial Day program, hosted by the McDonald Volunteer Fire Department.
The hourlong program was set up to remember and honor those who died serving their country. In that spirit, Mayor Glenn W. Holmes read the names, ranks and biographies of 19 servicemen from the village who were killed in combat.
Giving the main presentation was JoAnn Winterbauer, the wife of Fire Chief Ed Winterbauer.
While it’s important to honor the memory of military personnel who died serving their country, people also need to remember cooks, clerks and others who worked behind the scenes to provide the soldiers with support and supplies, JoAnn Winterbauer noted.
Attendees also were treated to a musical selection by singer John Schmidt of Youngstown, a leasing agent with the J.J. Cafaro Company in Youngtown, who also writes musical tributes to the soldiers in Iraq.
Choking back tears, Schmidt took two of his songs, “Here’s to the Heroes” and “This is America,” and combined them in an effort to honor the service personnel.
Placing a wreath next to a memorial with the 19 names were Ed Winterbauer and Henry Lafferty of McDonald, who retired from the Navy reserves after having served in Vietnam.
Preceding the program was a parade featuring the McDonald High School marching band, some members of which also played taps and a few other selections.
The Rev. Michael Setser of First Baptist Church of McDonald gave the invocation.