TRAVERSE CITY -- Seeking refuge from the scorching midday sun, a pack of United States Veterans enters the V.F.W. Cherryland Post on Veterans Drive in Traverse City.
They are draped in Honor Guard uniforms. Their hats are covered with military pins and their eyes hint at the experiences they have endured.
They also just returned from performing a military burial across town.
“I did not know the gentleman we said words over today, but he served this country honorably in World War II. He does not need to have any other credentials. He is a brother,” Honor Guard Chaplain Ken Thomas said.
The Cherryland Honor Guard Post has been particularly busy over the past year.
Members said it is estimated that 1,000 World War II veterans pass away each day, increasing the amount of funeral services they perform.
“We have a very involved Honor Guard. 110 funerals last year,” Thomas said.
“There has been quite a bit more because World War II members are dropping off awful fast now,” said Honor Guard Member Charles Lewis.
Lewis, 92, earned two Bronze Stars for bravery exhibited at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
“One thing I know…I was very fortunate that I went through what I went through and made it,” Lewis said. “There were times I didn’t know if I was going to make it back or not. I think on Easter Sunday was one of the times that was not the best. We had artillery coming in, wondering if it was exploding, or if this was the end or not.”
It’s been 65 years since Lewis fought in World War II and he still serves our country by performing military burials on the Honor Guard.
“Every time there is a funeral a person thinks about their fallen comrades and about the ones who are coming up,” Lewis said.
Ask anybody in the Honor Guard and they will tell you that death is a part of war, and it is also a part of life.
However, Honor Guard members said it makes them happy to dedicate their lives to the nation they love. It is a message they happily share with other people.
“All they have to do is go to other places, other countries and see how people live. They can come home and know there is no place better than the United States,” Lewis said.
