White Bear Lake church honors veterans’ ‘quiet’ service
The city’s oldest cemetery adds a memorial to the nation’s veterans to honor their service at war and at home in civilian life.
From TwinCities.com – Pioneer Press
By Adam Spencer
The burial of another World War II veteran set it all in motion.
While presiding over the ceremony for Charles Power in June, the Rev. Mark Kelm thought, “Soon, we’re not going to have any of these guys left.”
That was when Kelm, rector of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in White Bear Lake, decided the church’s cemetery needed a monument recognizing veterans — dead and alive — while the living are here to appreciate it.
On Wednesday, a brisk, sunny Veterans Day, about 178 people showed up there to help dedicate the monument honoring those who served in the U.S. armed forces.