August 2 ceremony honored area service personnel

By VFW Post 11346

Vice Commander Judy Emerson

We had one of the nicest days of the summer for the dedication ceremony of the Tomorrow River Veterans Memorial on Saturday, August 2. Blue skies, gentle breezes, and no humidity! It was wonderful!

We began the ceremony with the presentation of the colors. A prayer by Post Chaplain Lynn Thompson and a welcome by Post Quartermaster Wade Bertram opened the dedication. Our guest speaker, Master Sergeant John Schultz, connected his early days of Boy Scouts to his illustrious military career. We thank him for his insightful remarks.

Post Commander Marv Sommers presented the Memorial to the Village of Amherst. It was received by Village President Dave Crubaugh who declared August 2 as Tomorrow River Veterans Memorial Day.

I thanked all the donors who contributed time, talents, finances, smiles, and prayers that made this Memorial a living tribute to all who have worn the uniform. The names of these dedicated veterans are now represented on the Memorial Walls.

Special music by Eric Smith included a very meaningful song titled “More Than a Name On a Wall.”

Our Color Guard offered the rifle salute and “Taps” was performed by Colton Vander Laan, who was this year’s Badger Boy.

It was a very fitting ceremony to honor all those in our community who have served our country.

A luncheon, provided by Grit ’n’ Grace, with cupcakes from Amherst Family Foods, followed. No event would be complete without ice cream! Thank you, Grit ’n’ Grace, for bringing the Social Scoop Ice Cream trailer! And a very special thank you to all of you who have supported this project for our community.

Other VFW events. Our last event of the summer was our poppy sale during the Little Britches Rodeo weekend in mid-August. Even with the wild weather that Saturday, many of you supported us with your donations. We thank you very much.

We will look forward to fall and a little slower pace! Our raffle will conclude on Veteran’s Day, November 11. Tickets are still available at various locations.

As always, we thank you for your continued support of our projects and our presence in this community.

Guest speaker, Master Sergeant, and past VFW State Commander John Schultz spoke of how his experiences as a Boy Scout and in the military shaped his life.

A concept sketch of the memorial by Alchemy Concrete was on display.

Amherst Village President Dave Crubaugh declared August 2 Tomorrow River Veterans Memorial Day.

Quartermaster Wade Bertram provided a history of how the memorial came to be.

2025 Badger Boy Colton Vander Laan lead the Pledge of Allegiance near the beginning of the dedication and performed “Taps” near the end.