State American Legion Commander Elect Willie Pritchet, will be the guest speaker at the 67th Annual International Memorial Day services to be held in Sherwood at the High School on Monday May 31st 2004.

Following the program there will be a parade down Main Street with a stop at the Firemen’s Memorial to lay a Wreath in memory of our fallen firemen, then onto the Union Cemetery to decorate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Saluting of the Dead. After the ceremony at the Cemetery a lunch will be served at the Memorial hall and baseball games
will follow in the afternoon and evening.

This special International Memorial Day service began 67 years ago by accident. Jack Burton, Canadian Customs Officer, invited George Knutson, US Customs Office to come with him to Carnduff SK. for Armistice services on Nov 11, 1937. When it came time to march in the parade all they had to march to was a set of bagpipes. Mr. Knutson didn’t think this was much and stated so. Mr. Burton urged him to come march and see for himself, well need less to say Mr. Knutson was quite impressed as all who have ever marched behind a set of bagpipes will attest to. He told the bagpiper so and extended an invitation to the Scottish Gentlemen to come to Sherwood on Memorial Day 1938 and lead our parade. He also extended the same invitation to the Carnduff Branch of the Canadian Legion. Thus started the International Memorial Day service and that handshake and exchange of flags has continued all these 67 years.

Over the years there have many exciting things happen on this wonderful day. Three years ago was probably the most dramatic with Paul Murphy, chairman of the Survivors of the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis telling of how he rescued another North Dakota boy Ralph Dewing from sure death in the dark shark infested waters of the South Pacific. This year we will be using the theme used to honor the WW II Veterans and their monument being dedicated May 29 in Washington DC and will be explained in the next article on Our 67th International Memorial day services
As in the past we have had a special theme for each program, 3 years ago it was the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the 5 days at sea for 880 sailors being ate alive by sharks and drowning. Two years ago we recognized the POW/MIA program and remembered the many men who never returned only to be held either as a prisoner in some foreign land or just listed as missing in action. Last year it was the special occasion of 50 years since the beginning of the Korean War.

This year we will be honoring our WW II Veterans with the dedication of the WW II monument in Washington D. C. We have put together a list of over 150 names from this area to be put on the monument. We will be handing out certificates to each one of them or their family representative in a special ceremony at this program on Monday May 31 11:00 am in Sherwood.

Please come and help us recognize these Veterans who gave so much so many years ago