Messenger photos by Rick Palsgrove David Neal, Jr., of BSA Scout Troop 71, stands and salutes after placing a flag on the grave of David Willie, a Civil War Union Army veteran from Groveport. Troop 71 placed flags on the graves of more than 140 veterans in the Groveport Cemetery and on 1,687 graves at Franklin Hills Memory Gardens prior to Memorial Day.Vietnam War veteran Sgt. Harold Kidwell and his grandson Paul Roe of BSA Troop 71 placed the memorial wreath during the Memorial Day ceremony held in the Groveport Cemetery on May 28.Pictured here are some of the many veterans who attended the Memorial Day ceremony in Groveport. A large crowd listened as Rick Compton of American Legion Robert Dutro Post 486 talked about the history of Memorial Day and also asked that people remember the true meaning of the day. In his speech during the ceremony, U.S. Congressman Steve Stivers, who is also a brigadier general in the Ohio Army National Guard, said, “It’s up to us to never forget these heroes and their families. We need to always remember.”The Groveport Madison High School Marching Band enters Groveport Cemetery during the Memorial Day ceremony. The band played patriotic songs during the event.Scouts gather flowers to be placed on the graves of veterans in Groveport Cemetery.Motts Military Museum provided historic military vehicles that were used in the Groveport Memorial Day parade on May 28. Riding in this Jeep is Motts Military Museum Director Warren Motts and U.S. Marine and Groveport Madison High School graduate Isaac England.Photo courtesy of Paul Dowler Groveport Madison High School Marching Band members Katie Cordle (right) and Hannah Campbell (left) play “Taps” at the close of the Memorial Day ceremony in Groveport. Both musicians just graduated from Groveport Madison and this was their last band performance.
