MANSFIELD — Mansfield observed Memorial Day on Monday with a parade through downtown that ended at Central Park. Once it arrived, a program honored the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military.
Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in the years after the U.S. Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
The parade included marching bands from Mansfield Senior High School and Madison Comprehensive High School, as well as local law enforcement agencies, fire departments and veterans organizations.
At the Central Park gazebo, the speaker of the day was Darryl Bishop, past state commander of the American Legion. The ceremonies included songs from the Fun Center Chordsmen and a salute to the dead by the Richland County Joint Veterans Burial Squad.
Korean War veteran Doug Theaker recited the Logan Orders, issued by Gen. John Logan in 1868, an order that sparked the beginning of the national holiday.
(Below are photos and videos from the parade and also the ceremonies in Central Park. Videos included both marching bands and the Fun Center Chordsmen.)
