RIVER FALLS – Rainy weather may have forced American Legion Post 121 to move its 2024 Memorial Day program from Greenwood Cemetery to the Meyer Middle School gymnasium, but it didn’t dampen the patriotic spirit of the occasion.

The highlight of the program was the dedication of the River Falls Veterans Memorial in Greenwood Cemetery. Vietnam veteran Neil Anderson, who led the committee that designed the memorial, told the story behind its design after thanking the numerous people who over the years have helped care for the flowers there.

He described memorials as remembrances that help mourners in their grieving process to move on while preserving memories. For more than 100 years, River Falls residents gathered near a single flagpole at the site while speakers stood on a hay wagon, Anderson said.

“When you visit this memorial, you enter into a very public and private space,” Anderson said. “It was organized in a purposeful manner.”

The honor pathway leading to the memorial is lined with stones inscribed with 655 veterans’ names who have supported the memorial. Two large rocks serve as a threshold for people to “leave this busy world behind and enter into hallowed ground,” Anderson said. A statue depicts a grandfather passing a medal onto his grandson while the stone wall represents the rubble left by the devastation of war while providing comfort and shelter.

The dirt used to create the berm behind the memorial came from the dirt taken from graves in the cemetery when people are laid to rest, creating a dignified podium for speakers. Six silver flagpoles will hold the service flags while a black flagpole represents Prisoner of War/Missing in Action veterans.

“You need to pay special attention to that flagpole,” Anderson said. “It sits outside our memorial because they may never return home.

A black granite stone tucked into the memorial lists the names of those who have given their lives so we may enjoy the freedoms we are accustomed to, Anderson explained.

“The stone is lain on the ground in front of the American flag,” he said. “So that you may ow your head with reverence.”

One of the names on that stone was Anderson’s classmate, Tom Murphy. They attended Catholic school together, played baseball and football together and graduated from high school together. Then on a dark and awful night in April 1970, the remote outpost at which Murphy was stationed was overrun with the enemy.

“He sacrificed his life in protecting his brother soldiers,” Anderson said. “He gave his last full measure. He is a member of this community and always will be.”

And lastly, the six granite columns holding the plaques commemorating the wars America has fought in, from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror, stand sentinel, protecting and watching over fallen soldiers.

After Anderson’s description, three student Pathfinders, Elizabeth Baillargeon, Kira Sonnee and Cecelia Kinney, read the inscriptions on the plaques, which tell the story of American veterans.

Another highlight of the program was Navy veteran Maria Scheidegger telling the story of Arnold “Arnie” Roen, who was born on Jan. 27, 1921 and grew up on the family farm outside of River Falls. He was a dairy farmer until he was drafted into the US Army in August 1942.

Roen became somewhat of a legend at Post 121, a humble man who served on the Legion Honor Guard for more than 30 years. He was a first gunner in the combat engineers attached to the 38^th Infantry Division and was deployed to the Pacific theater in January 1944. After being stationed in New Guinea, Roen and his comrades were sent to the Philippines to support clearing and security operations. In January 1945 he was part of the 38^th Infantry Division’s combat landing on the Japanese held island of Luzon. He was also part of clearing the Zig Zag Pass and the Bataan peninsula and in securing Corregidor and Manila Bay as part of the “Avengers of Bataan.” He witnessed first hand the American flag being raised and Gen. Douglas MacArthur declaring his return to the Philippines.

He was discharged on Nov. 12, 1945, returned to the family farm and married Evelyn Kiefer after meeting her at a dance in Ellsworth. They raised four daughters and Roen served as a mentor to many in the community. He died at age 101 on Nov. 11, 2022, his last Veterans Day.