Editorial: Memorial Day site becomes site to witness recovery

On Monday morning, May 27, at 11 a.m., the local VFW and PLAV, representatives of the tri-community governments, and a large number of local people gathered at the Veterans Memorial on High Street on the shore of Belleville Lake for a brief ceremony to honor those lost in service to their country.
The crowd was larger than it had been in years for this annual service since there had been a Memorial Day parade and when it ended parade-goers walked over to participate in the ceremony. It was over in half an hour and some people continued their downtown activities by attending the farmer’s market on Fourth Street Place and Fourth Street Square.
There had been about an inch and a half of rain the previous day and overnight. Although the threatening rain held off for the parade, the service, and the market, the wind got much stronger.
A few hours later, at 3:50 p.m., Van Buren Township dispatch got a call about a young man who had disappeared below the waves of Belleville Lake. The blustery winds and strong waves made recovery a challenge.
Family members and television cameras replaced the VFW and PLAV standing on the Veterans Memorial as they gathered to watch recovery efforts from the shore.
The crowd changed from mourning those lost in battle to mourning one lost in the waves of Belleville Lake.
God bless all their souls.