Legion teams pay respects to deceased veterans

The St. Francis DePaul Cemetery sits quietly along County Y just north of the Kewaunee-Door county line outside Duvall, still well maintained even though the church founded in 1860 has been gone for nearly a quarter century.

The remote cemetery was silent Monday morning except for the calls of nearby birds and a light breeze under sunny skies – until about 7:15 a.m. when four vehicles drove up and a firing squad from American Legion Post 262 of Luxemburg piled out.

In a ceremony that the group repeated at nine cemeteries over two hours, Carol Harris said a prayer for the departed and their families.

"Grant peace and eternal rest to those who have gone before us, and make us ready for that last hour," Harris recited. "Strengthen and console those in sorrow and bestow upon us thy everlasting blessing."

The squad then fired three times, and David Ehren sounded taps for fallen comrades.

While this group visited cemeteries in and around northern Kewaunee County, a second squad was doing the same at graveyards south of Luxemburg, from Sugarbush to Pilsen.

The groups then reunited for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Bank of Luxemburg's Veterans Memorial, followed by a gathering at the Community Center for a short Memorial Day program that included speaker Jerry Simonar.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press Gazette: Legion teams pay respects to deceased veterans