The dedicated cast and crew of American veterans who have been illuminating the past in order to protect the future has been forced, like many other organizations, to halt planning for their summertime ritual of battlefield re-enactments in Michigan’s Great Southwest.
For more than a dozen years Lest We Forget has hosted an annual summer event either on the grounds of the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport, at Tiscornia Beach on Lake Michigan or, as in the past three years, along the St. Joseph River near Upton Drive. Activities frequently have included rides on World War II watercraft and a Vietnam Huey helicopter, battle reenactments, speaker presentations including several Medal of Honor recipients and military vehicle and weapons displays.
However, organizers tell us that to ensure the safety and health of the community and of the many volunteers, Korea: The Forgotten War, the theme originally scheduled for this June, will now be held next year on June 19th and 20th, 2021.
Lest We Forget was founded in 2006 with the operating principle “To Brighten the Future, We Must Illuminate the Past.” Along with the summer activity the organization participates in several community parades, sponsors a Patriotic Concert in conjunction with the Southshore Concert Band on the Sunday preceding Veterans Day in November and recently published their fifth book highlighting stories of our local veterans.
Members, consisting of Veterans and non-veterans, meet on the first Wednesday of each month at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport at 10:00 am. Even those meetings during the pandemic has been converted to live online computer video sessions. You can find current information online at http://www.LestWeForgetUSA.org
