Elwood Walker
Brookfield Township and the Brookfield Rotary Club are planning to hold an in-person Memorial Day observance at Brookfield Township Cemetery, starting at 10 a.m.
Trustee Dan Suttles said state guidelines for outdoor gathering events have opened up enough that a Memorial Day observance is “doable.” Trustees Ron Haun and Gary Lees concurred.
“I think it would be great if we could get back to some normalcy,” Haun said. “I can’t think of a better day to get back to some normalcy than that holiday.”
The township and Rotary had teamed up for years to honor fallen veterans with a parade into the cemetery, a service that included a roll call of Brookfield and Masury veterans who had died in the last year, a guest speaker and the playing of “Taps,” all followed by a luncheon at the township social hall.
The typical observance was shelved last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a virtual ceremony was recorded by videographer Bob Vaia and posted on the township’s web site on Memorial Day.
This year, there will be no parade or luncheon, but there will be a roll call, the playing of “Taps,” the reading of poems, and an address by featured speaker Elwood Walker.
Walker, a Brookfield High grad and an attorney with his office in the township, served in the Marines during the Vietnam War and has always spoken with pride about his service and the people who fought alongside him.
Cub Scout Pack 62, Brookfield High School Band, the Brookfield Police Department Honor Guard, Brookfield Township Volunteer Fireman’s Auxiliary, Brookfield Fire Department and Pastor Dick Smith of Brookfield United Methodist Church also will participate, and Vaia will record the event.
