‘Freedom has a sweetness to it,’ speaker tells those at Memorial Day ceremony in Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, MI — “Freedom has a sweetness to it that the protected will never know,” said veteran Fred Johnson.

Johnson, the keynote speaker at the Kalamazoo County Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 29, spoke to a modest-sized crowd gathered at the Riverside Cemetery following the county’s annual parade.

The Hope College professor issued a stern reminder about the cost of democracy to those in attendance.

“Your freedom isn’t free,” Johnson said. “Somebody is paying the price for it.

“Just because you’re not, doesn’t mean somebody isn’t.”

Also speaking at the ceremony was the Rev. Myron McConville, State Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), Shellie Wilson of local Blue Star Mothers and Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson.

“The values for which people sacrificed are values that each of us hold dear,” Anderson said. “We have to live those values every single day. We have to be examples for the values that we express when we talk about indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Presiding over the ceremony was Waverly Bell, vice chair of the Kalamazoo County Veteran Affairs committee. To conclude the ceremony, Don Jarzembek read the names of veterans from the Kalamazoo area who died while serving their country.

Musically, Grace Kalafut treated attendees to renditions of “America the Beautiful” and “The Star Spangled Banner,” while Scott Thornburg performed “Taps.”

The ceremony occurred on the heels of the 2023 Kalamazoo County Memorial Day Parade, which was sponsored by Rotary Club of Kalamazoo Sunrise and Charlies P.L.A.C.E

Hundreds lined the streets along West and East Michigan Avenue and down Riverview Drive to watch the parade, which stepped off in front of the Kalamazoo County Courthouse at 10 a.m.

Bands and dance squads stopped at points during the parade to perform for spectators and the parade also paused at the Robert L. Cook Veterans Memorial Plaza at Rose Park for a presentation of wreaths.

Among those marching in the parade were the Kalamazoo Central High School and Loy Norrix High School marching bands, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department, the Michigan Youth Challenge Academy, Boy Scouts of America, Meals on Wheels, the Kalamazoo NAACP, Black Voters Matter Fund, Galilee Baptist Church, Kalamazoo County Water & Recovery, McDonald’s Towing, Road Commission of Kalamazoo County, ATA Integrity Martial Arts, Douglass Center and more.

Also on MLive:

See the 23 food vendors, 13 acts coming to Lunchtime Live! Fridays in Kalamazoo

See which Kalamazoo County towns are growing, shrinking in population

3 months after prison release, future still unclear for man wrongfully convicted

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter.