DANVILLE – One of the United States’ national cemeteries lies in the heart of Vermilion County. As visitors drive up the gently sloping path, they can see circular rows of headstones that remain a bright, clean white, standing proudly against dark green grass. On Memorial Day, a late-morning breeze blows through thousands of small American flags that have been planted at each headstone.
The wind also carries a military tune followed by a rendition of the national anthem on this day, when several hundred people have gathered at Danville National Cemetery to remember their veteran friends and family members.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs held over 130 events at national cemeteries across the United States on Monday, including at Danville National Cemetery.
Chris Clark has been a VA nurse for 40 years, and she and her husband Dave have three family friends buried here. She said she is grateful for the cemetery.
“It’s beautiful. It’s serene. It feels very spiritual here,” Clark said.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. with a performance by the Danville Municipal Band, followed by an introduction from emcee Tom Barnes and a performance of the national anthem by Kurt Kaiser.
The Marine Corps League posted and retired the colors, and VA Chaplin Lael Dixon offered an invocation prayer and a benediction before the salute was performed.
The ceremony also included a wreath-laying and keynote speech from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s chief of staff, Colonel Daniel Gottrich.
The ceremony was closed with another performance by the Danville Municipal band and attendees dispersed to visit specific graves of loved ones.
This Memorial Day weekend was projected to once again break travel records, according to AAA, and while millions of Americans view it as a fun chance for a vacation, Barnes reiterated that the day is meant for somber reflection.
“As you grow older, you get to know more veterans, you realize the importance of it,” he said. “It’s not a celebration holiday. It’s a celebration of the lives that these soldiers lived.”
Barnes also shared that while he was never able to serve due to an injury, he feels as though volunteering to emcee the event is his way of serving veterans and their families.
“It’s my great honor to do [this] for them,” he said. “To know that I’ve helped them get that reflection that they need makes me feel good.”
Danville National Cemetery’s oldest burials are those of Civil War veterans from the Danville area who stayed at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. However, the cemetery still has space for new burials and allows veterans and their spouses to be buried alongside each other.
Although Chris Clark isn’t a veteran herself, she said dedicating spaces for veterans and their families to gather is important.
“The camaraderie that you see when you’re taking care of them in the VA setting — you don’t get that in other places,” she said.
She also reflected on her career as a VA nurse, echoing Barnes’s feeling of honor at being able to serve the people who served the United States.
“I developed a strong connection with the veterans that I took care of, a strong connection with the staff that I worked with, and just so many memories of veterans and families,” she said. “I gave my best every time, every day, and I’m proud of that.”