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Members of the Color Guard from Stone City VFW Post 2199 have held annual Memorial Day Run to cemeteries for more than 20 years.
They end at the Des Plaines River in honor of different comrades who have passed at these cemeteries and ones lost at sea.
When they first started going to the cemeteries, they would be greeted by family members of the fallen military person, but as the years have gone by there are less family members waiting at the cemetery.
St. Johns Cemetery still has a lot of Harold L. Stanley family members, waiting to greet and watch the ceremony of their fallen military family member. Sharon Shuman, the daughter of Harold Stanley, and other family members have been meeting the Color Guards at St. Johns cemetery for over 20 years.
They meet at Stone City VFW and leave at 8:15 am and proceed to Elmhurst Cemetery on Washington Street Joliet, St. Cyril Cemetery, Joliet, Resurrection Cemetery, Romeoville, St Johns Cemetery, Joliet, St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Joliet, and then to the Des Plaines River by the Bicentennial Park
They recite prayers and place a red, a white and a blue carnation on graves. The honor guards do the firing of the three volleys from their rifles and then they play the taps
After visiting the cemeteries they go to Bicentennial Park for the throwing of the wreath, in which they say prayers, do the firing of the three volleys from their rifles, then they throw the wreath in the river and then they play taps
The wreath throwing is in honor and remembrance of Navy personal who have lost their life at sea.
This year’s participants from Stone City VFW Post 2199 are Kevin Pomykala, Richard Mejia, William Dunstan, Richard Ceci, Al Hoppe, Robert Gutierrez, Skip, John Cislaghi and Terri Mutz.