Calumet’s Lakeview Cemetery Memorial Day ceremony includes Korean DMZ Conflict memorial bench dedication

CALUMET, Mich. (WLUC) - Dozens gathered for the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Lakeview Cemetery in Calumet on Monday.

It was presented by the Calumet Legion Post 61, with members of the Michigan National Guard.

Calumet High School’s JROTC program also assisted with the ceremony, as well as the school’s marching band, which played several pieces.

Following this was the dedication of a memorial bench in the cemetery.

The bench is dedicated to all veterans, including the fallen, of post-Korean War conflicts.

It reads, ‘Dedicated to honor the veterans who served and gave their lives for freedom on the Korean (DMZ) Peninsula. Lest We Forget.’

“American soldiers, along with our South Korean allies, had a number of firefights and conflicts in the years from 1966 to ‘69 along the DMZ,” said 110th State House District Representative Greg Markkanen. “And a number of people were killed, wounded, and we feel that should be honored as well, those soldiers that served there.”

According to a veteran of that conflict, Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) Member Douglas Voss, it is something that some people do not accept.

“All of us that served after the Korean War, especially when it got hot, and when I’m talking hot, I’m talking about firefights that increased exponentially, people don’t believe us,” said Voss. “And it’s tragedy, a travesty, but those of us who served there, we never forget our brethren who died there and came home in an aluminum casket.”

The association works to keep the memory of those who died in the Korean War and afterward alive.

According to Voss, the association tried to make a similar memorial in Washington D.C, either at the Korean War Memorial or Arlington Cemetery, but both were unsuccessful.

Instead, they are taking a different approach.

“State-by-state is how we want to have our Korean War veterans remembered,” added Voss, “As well as the Korean DMZ and Korean Defense Veterans.”

To learn more about the association, visit their website by clicking here.

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