Midland Veterans Memorial refurbished to honor veterans of all conflicts

Midland Veterans Memorial refurbished to honor veterans of all conflicts
Michigan Live
By Annie Harrison
November 01, 2013

Lindsey Burgess of Midland hugs Debi Ullom during the Midland Veterans Memorial Dedication Ceremony on Nov. 1, 2013. Ullom lost her son during Aaron who served in Afghanistan. The Midland Veterans Memorial had been put in storage while the fail was being demolished and has now been renovated.
Sammy Jo Hester MLive.com

MIDLAND, MI — Veterans and their friends and family huddled together against the wind and rain Friday, Nov. 1, to honor fallen service members at a dedication ceremony for the Midland Veterans Memorial.

A crowd gathered at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Midland County Courthouse to see the memorial that had been placed in storage for two years while the old Midland County Jail was demolished.

Lindsey Burgess, a Midland County Veterans Memorial Committee member, said the committee set out six years ago to update the original World War II Veterans Memorial, dedicated in 1949, to represent all conflicts. The expanded memorial honors all fallen veterans past, present and future from Midland County.

“What sparked my interest was that there was no recognition of the currently serving fallen,” she said.

Burgess became involved in the formation of the committee in 2007 after her brother, Lance Corporal Ryan J. Burgess of the U.S. Marine Corps, was killed in action December 21, 2006, in Iraq. While she has spent years working to renovate the memorial, she insists this day is not about her.

“This is not about me at all, this is about the big picture,” she said.
read more here