McHenry Combined Honor Guard to mark Memorial Day

Members of the McHenry Combined Honor Guard - representing American Legion Post 491, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600 and the Polish Legion of American Veterans Post 188 - will host ceremonies in McHenry this Memorial Day, May 25.

A brief ceremony including a 21-gun salute, a wreath-laying and the playing of Taps, will take place at 10 a.m. Monday at Veterans Memorial Park, 3400 Pearl St., McHenry. From there, the Honor Guard will go to Weber's Park, 1408 N. Riverside Drive, where a wreath will be placed in the Fox River to honor the ultimate sacrifice of members of the U.S. Navy.

The group will continue to St. Patrick Countryside Cemetery behind the church at 3500 Washington St., McHenry, for another round of military tributes.

They also will conduct a 21-gun salute, wreath laying and a playing of Taps at the St. Mary and Woodland cemeteries, located north of St. Mary Catholic Church along Richmond Road in McHenry.

From there, they will repeat the activities at the Holy Apostles Cemetery, located behind the Church of Holy Apostles, 5211 Bull Valley Road, McHenry.

Kevin Adams, commander of American Legion Post 491 and a retired U.S. Army Sgt. E5, noted that due to safety precautions surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the planned observance will be downsized from previous years that included speeches and other activities.

"It will be smaller," he said. "But we didn't want a year to go by without acknowledging and honoring the sacrifice of our military heroes."

Residents who wish to observe the Honor Guard's Memorial Day tributes are encouraged to also observe social distancing and wear face coverings, Adams said.

"I want to make sure that the public knows we're here to honor our veterans, and to support our community," he said, adding that members of Boy Scout Troop 131 of McHenry plan to plant flags alongside the graves of U.S. military veterans buried at the local cemeteries.