OKEMOS, MI - Meridian Township held their 27th Annual Memorial Day service on Monday, May 31st at the Glendale Cemetery, located at 2500 Mt Hope Rd in Okemos.

Service began at 11:00 am and was open to the public to attend. This special tribute carries the tradition of paying respect and honor to those who died serving our country.

Thomas Cooper, a graduate from the Air Force Academy in 1979, was a guest speaker at the event. HOMTV had the privilege to speak with Cooper on why memorial day is important to the community, “I think it demonstrates service members who’re on active duty and the family members of those who’ve fallen in the line of duty. It demonstrates to those people how much support there is in this country for the military."

The Meridian Community Band were in attendance to provide a musical tribute to all the United States Armed Forces, along with the Chief Okemos District Eagle Scouts with a special presentation of the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Meridian Township Clerk Deborah Guthrie was also present at the event and told HOMTV why it’s important for Meridian Township to continue providing this annual Memorial Day service, “I feel that a lot of us have family members that have served and have had people die in the call of duty. It’s an important day to remember, honor, and pay tribute to those who fought for our freedom in this country.”

Guthrie feels that this is the most important event in Meridian Township and added, “This is a great community. We have a lot of community members that are service oriented. I was really happy to see the number of people who came out today to pay tribute to those who served and fallen.”

Meridian Township and HOMTV would like to thank everyone who has served our country.