April 25, 2024
By Rachel Scofield
On Memorial Day, May 27, the community is invited to join American Legion Post 283 as they honor the memory of those who served in the United States Armed Forces.
At 9 am, the Legion’s Auxiliary will lay a wreath at the Violet Cemetery (180 E Columbus St) and the Legion’s Honor Guard will render military funeral honors (a gun salute and the playing of Taps). Local BSA troops will assist with the flag raising.
After the service, the Pickerington Police and the Violet Township Fire Department will join the participants in a procession to Victory Park (Lockville Road) where Pickerington Mayor Lee Gray will speak.
At 10:30, the Honor Guard will perform military honors at Glen Rest Cemetery (8029 E Main St, Reynoldsburg) where the Post’s namesake, David Johnston, is interred. Johnston was Pickerington High School’s only student to be killed in action during the Vietnam War. Also recognized during the Glen Rest ceremony will be Marine Terry Parsons who was connected to the same company as Johnston, and Dustin Durga who was killed in action on May 8, 2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
At 1 pm, Major General Steve Stivers will speak at the Post 283’s parking lot stage. The Post is located near the corner of Refugee and Pickerington Roads underneath the helicopter. Stivers, who served as a battalion commander in Iraq, chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2017-2019. He also represented the 15th Ohio Congressional District from 2011 until 2021 when he left to become president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
The lawn beside the Post’s pavilion will feature a recreation of Flanders Fields comprised of red pinwheels. Each pinwheel honors a member of the U.S. Armed Forces either past or present. For more information regarding Flanders Fields and/or how to donate to the Post’s display, please visit: Help Veterans, Donate a Pinwheel – Pickerington Online
Also, the last Friday of every month from 6 pm to 8 pm, the Post invites the public to join them for a steak dinner. The price is $18.00 for a steak, potato, salad, and dessert. The next Steak Night will be April 26. To facilitate the Memorial Day observances, the May Steak Night will be held on May 24.
