Indiana post’s American Legion Family provides Memorial Day ceremonies at seven area cemeteries – a tradition dating back to the 1950s.
For members of American Legion Post 351 in the small town of Elberfeld, Ind., Memorial Day is more than an opportunity to honor fallen U.S. servicemembers. For decades, it’s also been a family affair.
For decades, generations of the post’s American Legion Family have used the Sunday before Memorial Day to visit area cemeteries and honor the veterans buried there before performing a similar ceremony in the middle of town. That was the case again on May 24, when steady drizzle and sometimes heavier rain didn’t deter 18 members of Post 351’s Honor Guard and another dozen American Legion Family members holding U.S. flags to visit seven area cemeteries, performing the same ceremony at each of them.
This year’s cemeteries were Northview, Noble’s Chapel, Barnett Chapel, Susott, Zion Church, St. John’s Church and Zoar Church of Christ. The day ended with a final ceremony at a perfectly lined up cross display set up by Post 351’s Legion Family on a grassy area along Elberfeld’s Main Street. Each of the 55 crosses had a red poppy attached to it and a flag placed in front of it.
During the ceremony, nearby residents in the town of less than 1,000 stood on their porches to observe, some even shooting video from their phones.
Past American Legion Department of Indiana Commander and Post 351 life member Robert “Bob” Oeth said the post has been conducting Memorial Day ceremonies since shortly after it was built in 1948. He’s been participating since he joined the post more than 50 years ago.
“When it started out, it was the World War I and World War II guys doing it, and those wars were very fresh. They had comrades and family members who had served,” said Oeth, who served as department commander from 2023 to 2024. “And then, they still had Civil War and Spanish-American War graves around. They started doing it at around three or four local cemeteries, and the Auxiliary always put up the display either here or in town, and we’d finish up there.”
Prior to 1968, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30. That, and the actions of a local church, are likely what led to Post 351 conducting the ceremonies on the Sunday before Memorial Day.
“I think was probably stemmed the Sunday thing was back when Memorial Day could fall on any day through the week,” Oeth said. “And one of our churches always had their Memorial Day service at their cemetery, and for many, many years we went to that church service first and then went to the other cemeteries. That probably had an effect on (choosing Sunday).”
Finding volunteers isn’t a problem. “It’s just always been like this,” Oeth said. “This is one event a year where some of the (volunteers) you didn’t even have to call and remind them. You see them on the street and they’ll say to you, ‘Hey, I’ll see you Sunday.’”
Post 351 Commander Michael Pitts, who has been a member for 11 years, praised his volunteers not just for their Memorial Day dedication, but for their effort year-round.
“It’s selfless service at its finest,” Pitts said. “They come out and help us out any time we need it. They know where they’re needed and what they need to do. I couldn’t do anything without these guys.”
Pitts – who has spent 20 years in the National Guard, including 15 on active duty – calls Memorial Day, “one of the most important things we do: to honor those who have given up everything. It’s very somber, but it’s the greatest honor. There’s no better day. I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do today.”
At every cemetery, Pitts opened the ceremony reading a short passage that included, “We come to honor the memory of one who offered life in service for God and country. Proudly we remember the service in time of war. Because of thee, our lives are free. Because of them, our nation lives.”
Post 351 Legionnaire Rusty Oeth, Bob’s nephew, also read a prayer at every stop:
“We gather in this sacred place with grateful hearts to honor the great men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. We remember their courage, their sacrifice and their devotion in protecting the freedoms we hold dear. May we never take for granted the price they paid for our liberty. Lord, bring comfort and peace to the families and loved ones who carried the weight of the loss. Let the memory of these heroes live on with honor and dignity. As we stand among these resting places, remind us to live with gratitude, unity and respect for all those who’ve worn our nation’s uniform. Bless those who continue to serve, and may eternal peace rest among the souls of our fallen.”
Rusty has served in the U.S. military for 24 years, first in the U.S. Air Force for six years and then in the Air National Guard, currently with the Kentucky Air National Guard in Louisville. And throughout that time, he’s been a part of Post 351’s Memorial Day activities.
“I’ve been doing the honor guard with the Legion for as long as I can remember,” Rusty said. “We’ve got some kids here today who are 15 years old. I started the same way. For us, this is more of a family tradition. I helped set up the crosses. My grandfather did that, so I’m third generation to make sure that happens.”
Rusty said his and others’ responsibility to ensure Memorial Day is commemorated in the proper way. “All of the fallen heroes we have, you absolutely just can’t forget them,” he said. “You have to make sure they’re honored. This is more than just a burger burn holiday, for sure.”
Each graveside ceremony included a three-volley salute from the honor guard, as well as Taps being provided by Sons of The American Legion Squadron 351 member Craig Titzer. And Honor Guard Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Pfeiffer dropped flower petals on a veteran’s gravesite at each stop.
“It’s showing respect. A lot of people think of Veterans Day and Memorial Day backwards. Today is for the ones that didn’t come back,” Pfeiffer said. “I’ll have people say on Memorial Day, ‘Hey, thank you for your service.’ I always say thank you because I always appreciate that. But to me, that’s Veterans Day. But Memorial Day is for the ones that didn’t make it and what they gave so we could have what we have.”
Pfeiffer has been a member of Post 351 for more than 15 years and has been participating in the Memorial Day ceremonies for just as long. His 15-year-old son Kellen, a member of Squadron 351, has participated in the Memorial Day ceremonies for around 10 years.
Rain or shine, hot or cold, Kevin always plans on participating. “From my perspective – and I know a lot of other (Post 351 Legion Family members) feel the same – if we had to stand in the rain to honor those who have fallen, that isn’t a drop in the bucket compared to what a lot of them had to do while they were fighting, while they were protecting our country, freedoms and stuff like that,” he said.
For Bob Oeth, the importance of Memorial Day was ingrained in him at an early age. “Growing up here in the Legion and in this area here – my father was a member, and so were his relatives – this was the place for my brothers and sisters,” he said. “And we just grew in memorializing those veterans. You learn from a young age what Memorial Day is about. Even when we were kids, we would come up and travel around with them (to the different cemeteries) and make all the stops. It’s something bred in you.
“For some people it’s a holiday. You go boating. You grill out. But it’s more than a furniture sale or whatever. And more so today, if we don’t do it, who will?”
- Honor & Remembrance