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Wexford County Community Remembers Local Fallen Soldiers From WW1

A northern Michigan community honoring those who gave their life in World War One100 years after U.S. entered the conflict.

Saturday in Wexford County, the Marie Therese Cadillac Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution hosted a memorial for those from the area that were killed in the war.                       

9&10’s Megan Woods was there and has more details after speaking to the family member of one man who died while serving.

“There are 28 names on that wall just from Wexford County, just a fraction of those killed in that war but it’s personal it’s where we live.”

Saturday dozens gathered around the WW1 memorial in Cadillac for a special ceremony to remember local soldiers killed in the war. Showing that even 100 years after the start of the war, their sacrifice has not been forgotten.  

Commemorative Events Chair of the DAR Chapter, Marie Linn says, “I went to school with a couple of the distant relatives that are on this plaque and it’s just a feeling of remembering my own ancestry I have a full ancestry of military veterans and it just becomes very personal.”

But for many in the crowd it hit even closer to home.

Lois Oprych’s great uncle, Carl Stielke, was one of the 28 people honored Saturday. He died in France on June 6, 1918 while serving in the Marine Corps.

Oprych says, “I didn’t know there was a monument in town so it was something that I needed to do to honor him.”

This ceremony gave her a new connection to her family’s past.         

She says, “We were able to put poppies down the poppy is a symbol of World War 1 tradition, to lay that down gives us all a connection with the men and women who lost their lives in World War 1.”

And a somber reminder to never forget.

“It’s just part of a small town community it’s just something you do, if a soldier goes off to war and doesn’t make it back it’s important to remember them,” says Oprych.

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