By Bruce Rolfe
Two local veterans will be the grand marshals of the Greater Galesburg Day parade Saturday, June 21.
The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. at the G-A Primary School.
Raymond Elsey, of Richland, and John Enders, of Galesburg, will be the 2025 Greater Galesburg Day parade grand marshals.
Elsey is an Army veteran who served in the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War.
Enders, who grew up in South Bend, Indiana, served in the Navy on the USS Sierra in the weapons department. He served just short of two years during the cold war era.
Enders said he’s looking forward to joining Elsey as grand marshals of the local parade.
“I couldn’t ask for a better man to go through the parade with me. Any person that’s been in the military, he looks at those veterans as their brothers and sisters because we’ve both been through the same things,” said Enders.
The two veterans will be representing the Fallen But Not Forgotten Military, Kalamazoo chapter.
Fallen But Not Forgotten Military, a non-profit organization, was established in 2023. The organization provides free flag poles, a flag, and performs short ceremonies for families of fallen heroes.
The organization also coordinates with the Fort Custer Honor Guard, which also participates in the flag ceremony.
“We feel that this is our way of saying thank you to the family for their heroes service,” said Kim Enders, the president and CEO of the Fallen But Not Forgotten Military Kalamazoo chapter the two veterans are representing.
John Enders said a flag ceremony performed by another person he and his wife Kim attended about a year and a half ago, inspired the couple to start a local chapter.
“With the pride the man saw that I had, he asked myself and my wife if we would be interested in spearheading a chapter here in Michigan,” explained John, who serves as Master of Ceremonies at Fallen But Not Forgotten Military ceremonies.
You can contact Fallen But Not Forgotten Military for a free flag ceremony on the group’s Facebook page at Fallen But Not Forgotten Military-Kalamazoo chapter or email the local chapter at fbnfmk@gmail.com.
Two local veterans will be the grand marshals of the Greater Galesburg Day parade Saturday, June 21.
The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. at the G-A Primary School.
Raymond Elsey, of Richland, and John Enders, of Galesburg, will be the 2025 Greater Galesburg Day parade grand marshals.
Elsey is an Army veteran who served in the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War.
Enders, who grew up in South Bend, Indiana, served in the Navy on the USS Sierra in the weapons department. He served just short of two years during the cold war era.
Enders said he’s looking forward to joining Elsey as grand marshals of the local parade.
“I couldn’t ask for a better man to go through the parade with me. Any person that’s been in the military, he looks at those veterans as their brothers and sisters because we’ve both been through the same things,” said Enders.
The two veterans will be representing the Fallen But Not Forgotten Military, Kalamazoo chapter.
Fallen But Not Forgotten Military, a non-profit organization, was established in 2023. The organization provides free flag poles, a flag, and performs short ceremonies for families of fallen heroes.
The organization also coordinates with the Fort Custer Honor Guard, which also participates in the flag ceremony.
“We feel that this is our way of saying thank you to the family for their heroes service,” said Kim Enders, the president and CEO of the Fallen But Not Forgotten Military Kalamazoo chapter the two veterans are representing.
John Enders said a flag ceremony performed by another person he and his wife Kim attended about a year and a half ago, inspired the couple to start a local chapter.
“With the pride the man saw that I had, he asked myself and my wife if we would be interested in spearheading a chapter here in Michigan,” explained John, who serves as Master of Ceremonies at Fallen But Not Forgotten Military ceremonies.
You can contact Fallen But Not Forgotten Military for a free flag ceremony on the group’s Facebook page at Fallen But Not Forgotten Military-Kalamazoo chapter or email the local chapter at fbnfmk@gmail.com.
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