Memorial Day ceremonies
A ceremony at St. Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene today will lead off Memorial Day events this holiday weekend. It will follow the 10 a.m. service at St. Thomas Catholic Church and begin about 11:15. There will also be a rededication of St. Thomas Cemetery, 23rd and Sherman.
Monday morning, the city of Hayden will hold two Memorial Day ceremonies. The first will begin at 9:30 at Honeysuckle Beach with the laying of a memorial wreath and "Tolling of the Boats" honoring service men and women lost at sea. The main ceremony will begin at 11 at the McIntire Family Park stage at Hayden City Hall.
The main address will be given by John and Stacey Holley, U.S. Army veterans, co-authors of, “Medals, Flags and Memories” and Gold Star parents of SPC Matthew Holley.
"Their world was shattered in November 2005 with the appearance of uniformed military personnel at the front door of their Post Falls home with the tragic news that their son and only child, Specialist Matthew Holley had been killed by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq," a press release said. "Appalled when they learned that Matthew’s casket would return to San Diego’s Lindbergh Field without proper honors aboard a commercial airline, they refused to accept the protocol that was in place at the time."
With the help of their congressman they advocated for a change in the way fallen service members are honored.
Legislation titled “The Holley Provision,” in honor of SPC Matthew Holley, was signed into law by President George W. Bush in October 2006 and implemented by the Pentagon on Jan. 1, 2007.
America's fallen heroes are now returned to their families aboard charter jets, their caskets met by honor guards in white gloves and crisp uniforms instead of baggage handlers with forklifts.
"The Holley Provision is both a tribute to a courageous young man who gave his life for what he believed and the heartfelt journey of his parents," the release said.
Other Memorial Day ceremonies in Kootenai County:
9 a.m. — McEuen Park, 420 E. Front St., CDA; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889
10 a.m. — CDA Memorial Gardens - 7315 N. Government Way, CDA; Marine Corps League Detachment 966
10 a.m. — Evergreen Cemetery - 2834 N. Spokane St., Post Falls; American Legion Post 143
11 a.m. — Forest Cemetery - 1001 N. Government Way, CDA; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889
11 a.m. — Pleasant View Cemetery - 1298 S. Goldfinch Road, Post Falls; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3603
11 a.m. - Pine Grove Cemetery - 26590 ID-41, Blanchard; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1473
Noon — Evergreen Cemetery - 2834 N. Spokane St., Post Falls; American Legion Post 143
Noon — Pinegrove Cemetery - 6693 W. Highway 53, Rathdrum; American Legion Post 154 and the city of Rathdrum
Noon — Greenwood Cemetery, 400 10th Ave., Spirit Lake; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1473