Roseville celebrates Memorial Day with parade, ceremony

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — The Roseville American Legion held their annual Memorial Day services Monday morning.

The day began by paying tribute to the fallen soldiers at three local cemeteries, followed by a parade on Main St., and a ceremony at Patriot Park. Sgt. First Class Jacob Zimmerman, an Army veteran, was the guest speaker and he felt it was it was an opportunity to honor those soldiers and give back to the community.

“Ultimately I feel serving this great nation, we need to pay tribute back to the fallen and also to the families of the members that have served. And I think it’s a great opportunity to do that. We still have an obligation to the communities, and I feel that’s me giving back to the community from my current position,” said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, from Ironton, OH, says that he was working at a pizza shop back home out of high school. He didn’t have solid plans for his future, but knew that he didn’t want to work there for his entire life. He explains he saw a gentleman sitting there in uniform who told him that he was in the Army. He didn’t know what that entailed at the time, but he has since served two tours in Iraq, in addition to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Zimmerman says that there are experiences and memories that he would never give back, because he would never have had them if he stayed home in his small town.

Ultimately, Zimmerman says he has lost friends and those close to him due to conflicts, but says that is why Memorial Day is so important to him. It’s an opportunity to remember those soldiers, as well as their husbands and wives, children, and families to know that they did not die in vain and they gave their lives defending our freedoms and liberties.

Zanesville resident Lt. Col. Kyle Burley says that serving in the Army and protecting his country was an opportunity to live out a lifelong dream.

“Well for me being in the Army and being an Army soldier and officer has been a lifetime calling. Not only have I been able to live my dream but I’ve been able to serve our nation, serve the country, serve the American people to make the world a better place,” added Burley.

Memorial Day means a tremendous amount to Burley as well. Having been in a combat deployment, and having soldiers that were part of his unit that have fallen, along with those that still serve, he says it’s an opportunity to pay tribute to those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

Burley explains with distant outposts and garrisons that spread across the entire United States, it’s easy to become disconnected from local communities and it’s important to come back and re-invigorate that connection.

The ceremony at Patriot Park also included a speech by the Mayor, the Star-Spangled Banner and other songs performed by local artists, and a three-volley rifle salute to the fallen soldiers.