I have attended the Fishers Memorial Day ceremony for several years now, and the event has been blessed with perfect weather in recent times.  2019 was no exception with a bright, sunny sky and temperatures in the comfortable mid-70s.

Navy Vet El Ahlwardt once again handled the master of ceremonies duty.  Every year I have covered this event, the crowd appears to be larger that the previous year.

The most moving part of the ceremony was Guest Speaker Kevin Rankel and his talk about his son John, who gave his life serving in Afghanistan.

Mr. Rankel often wondered, “…why did this happen to us?”

“As the years passed, I found the realization that John died loving what he loved to do, that was leading men and setting an example of how to live, and quite frankly, how to die,” Rankel told the crowd.  “While I miss my son every single day, I am so very proud of him.”

“Through all this, I have a new appreciation for veterans, for the nation they fought for, and ceremonies like this,” Rankel said.

There was a playing of Taps, and the laying of carnations at the Liberty Plaza Memorial, part of the Fishers Municipal Complex, near 116th Street.
Here are more pictures from the Memorial Day event: