Story originally printed in the Onalaska Life or online at www.onalaskalife.com
Published - Tuesday, June 03, 2008
A song for the fallen: Choir plays big part in Memorial Day tradition
While there were no poppies blowing, the scene at the Memorial Day service by the Holmen American Legion was reminiscent of the poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by Lt. Col. John McCrae, MD, of the Canadian Army, and evoked the emotion of Dr. McCrae seeing the burial ground after burying a friend and former student.
The poem is the legacy of a terrible 17-day battle in the spring of 1915 in a Ypres battlefield in Belgium.
After the parade from the Holmen Legion building to Holmen Middle School’s football field, hundreds gathered to listen to the Holmen High School Marching Band play and to pay tribute to the military sacrifices.
According to Betty Baird, the Holmen Community Choir director, the crowds just keep getting bigger for the Holmen Memorial Day program. “I was thrilled when I saw how many people were there when I turned around to direct the crowd in singing ‘God Bless America,’” she said.
The bright spring day and the brisk breeze rippling the flags set with crosses for each of Holmen’s military casualties of war were reminiscent of the poem “In Flanders Fields,” read by Candice Lund, president of the Holmen Legion Auxiliary.
 Nissa Tolvstad, Jim Halvorson, John Solberg and Kevin Baird, from left, and other Holmen Community Choir members sing at Holmen's Memorial Day observance, which also included Girl Scouts placing wreaths on crosses as the roll was called. Photo by Jo Anne Killeen |
The Community Choir was at its best singing John Purifoy’s arrangement of the song “America the Beautiful.” According to Baird, it is her favorite version. Accompanying the choir were Al Metcalfe on bass and Melissa Graff on the piano.
A small segment of the choir has been performing for the Memorial Day Service for more than 20 years. Memorial Day is the only time they sing together other than as part of the Holmen Lutheran Church choir, also directed by Baird.
The choir members had only six or seven practices, and numbers were down, but that didn’t seem to hurt the choir’s performance. “We usually have quite a few more from the Community Choir do this service,” Baird said. “But so many had other committments.”
Baird said the favorite part of the service for the crowd and the veterans is during the playing of the “Salute to the Armed Forces.” As each service’s anthem is played, audience members who were in the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Army and Air Force rose and were applauded by the crowd.
“It’s their song,” Baird said. “It’s very personal to them.”
There were many children there and Baird was glad to see them. “I thought it was neat there were quite a few little kids there this year. I think it’s neat that families are making this important to their children and hopfully pass the tradition on to their children.”
Interspersed with the choir’s songs was Bill Adam’s narration of the story of America and those that carried the torch so passionately passed to them by the soldiers of Flanders Fields. “Take up our quarrel with the foe:/To you from failing hands we throw/The torch; be yours to hold it high.”
With the reading of the roll call, a Holmen tradition for at least 50 years, according to Baird, the Girl Scouts laid wreaths upon the crosses representing the fallen men and women as the crowd bowed in silence.
As “Taps” was played, one could also hear the echo of the poem’s ending: “If ye break faith with us who die/We shall not sleep, though poppies grow/In Flanders fields.”
All stories copyright 2006 Onalaska Life and other attributed sources.