A cool morning with plenty of sunshine greeted a crowd of some 200 people who gathered to observe Memorial Day at the Leelanau Township Cemetery Monday.

The community Memorial Day service featured performances by the Northport Community Band under the direction of Ken Bloomquist, and the Village Voices choir guided by Ann Bloomquist. With George Anderson as master-of-ceremonies, the service included memorials to all members of the armed services who died defending the country and helping to keep Americans free.

Jerry Dennis provided the keynote address on the Vietnam War. He reviewed the start of the conflict through the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1975. Dennis’ speech ended on a somber note as he urged everyone to make sure the soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors who are returning from the Iraq War do not receive the same treatment that many Vietnam veterans did.

The Leelanau Township service also included many traditional elements. John Nelson read General John A. Logan’s General Order No. 11 which established May 30, 1868, as a day of remembering the soldiers who fell in the Civil War. And the Rev. John E. Cermak read the poem In Flanders Field, which commemorates the soldiers who fell during World War I.

The ceremony ended with the Village Voices singing God Bless America, and trumpet players Robert Crane and Dick Allen as the echo performing Taps.