I was honored to be the keynote speaker for the 2018 Memorial Day observance at Lakewood Cemetery,
one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in Minneapolis where many prominent people were laid to rest.
https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/lakewood-memorial-chapel
The theme for the observance was “Commemorating the World War One Centennial”.

Mr. Chicoine, I attended the Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Day program and I very much enjoyed your stories and creating a beautiful tie-in to those memorialized at Lakewood Cemetery. – Diana Houston

Your address was engaging, delivered beautifully and was well received by our audience. Thank you for sharing the courageous stories of Stephen Sherman, Bert Baston and the others you spoke of who made great sacrifices during World War I for our country. Stories like these are so important to helping us all appreciate and honor the meaning of Memorial Day. What a wonderful day it was. You helped make it memorable for so many – Ronald A. Gjerde, Jr., President, Lakewood Cemetery Association

It was fantastic – Julia Gillis

I greatly appreciated your message because you made you comments very personal explaining that the soldier who fought in the war grew up in a neighborhood nearby and was eventually returned to this neighborhood to be laid to rest at Lakewood.  You also personalized other parts of the message too, which I appreciated.  Thank you, Sincerely  – Judy

 One week after Memorial Day was the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Belleau Wood, a seminal battle in Marine Corps history. I focused my remarks on Stephen G. Sherman of Minneapolis, who served in 20th Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Sergeant Sherman lost his life on June 6, 1918, the first day of the Marine assault on Belleau Wood. The Marines suffered 1,087 casualties on that single day. The family had Stephen’s remains returned home in September 1921 and reinterred them in Lakewood Cemetery.  The location is Section 24, Lot 438, Grave 5.

 

AUDIO FILE OF MY ADDRESS