Bessemer remembers those who served

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

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Bessemer — Jim Tannheimer was the guest speaker at Memorial Day services at Hillcrest Cemetery in Bessemer Monday morning.

Tannheimer grew up in Yale Location, graduated from Bessemer high school and joined the U.S. Air Force. He credited John Frello, now the Gogebic County veterans service officer and a fellow Yale lad, for helping him decide to join the military.

He retired 25 years later as a command chief master sergeant after spending much of his service recruiting others to join in service of their country, specifically earning awards for recruiting people in the medical field.

Tannheimer praised those who have served the country to secure freedom for all and said it right that we honor those died while serving and those who returned home. He said he remembers how those who returned from Vietnam were not honored and even as a kid he felt that wasn’t right.

He said one of the best ways to honor our veterans is to improve our leadership, personally and within our government at all levels. He implored people to become actively involved in their local and national government and to vote for leaders who will make better decisions, in part to take better care of the military. He said if we do this, it will make those veterans who have died and are looking down on us smile.

Rev. Dominic Agyapong of St. Sebastian Catholic Church gave the invocation and benediction.

Members of the Bessemer American Legion Post 27 and VFW Post 3673 served as honor guard and offered a rifle salute. Other members laid a wreath at a memorial beneath the American flag. Myron and Marcus Re played “Taps.”

The Bessemer high school band played the national anthem and other patriotic numbers.