The public is invited to take part in the activities planned at the Edward P. Robinson Community Veterans Memorial Park to honor the men and women of our nation’s armed forces lost in combat, with special recognition for the citizens of Munster.
Beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 29, Munster VFW Post 2697 will conduct a ceremony along with American Legion Post 16 at the park, located at 9710 Calumet Avenue. The post will fire a traditional 21-gun salute with their ceremonial cannon beginning at noon.
The Memorial Day tradition began in 1868 by The Grand Army of the Republic “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country …with services and testimonials of respect…”
The 6.5-acre memorial is a tourist attraction and commemorates the sacrifices and achievements of veterans of major military conflicts that shaped the 20th Century. The idea for the memorial was developed in the late 1990s when a group of local veterans came together to talk about creating a place that honors the nation’s war heroes. The final design encompasses three main goals: to remember, to educate and to challenge.
The park is located just 2.5 miles south of I-80/94 on the west side of Calumet Avenue, just north of Sheffield Ave. It is open dawn to dusk and the Memorial Day activities will be held rain or shine. There is no charge to visit the park. To learn more, visit www.CommunityVeteransMemorial.org.