America's veterans past and present will be remembered in a Memorial Day program at the Evergreen Cemetery in Staples on Memorial Day, starting at 10 a.m. at the all veterans monument.

The annual Memorial Day7 program is arranged by members of the Staples VFW and Ameri- can Legion posts and their auxil- iaries. This year the Ameri- can Legion Post is conducting the ceremony.

Don Landecker, commander of the Staples American Legion Ivan V. Sarff Post 70, will be master of ceremonies. The VFW Color Guard will also be present.

Pastor Roy Miles will give the invocation and the benediction.

The national anthem will be sung by high school students Naomi Landecker and Tonya Givans.

Jack Wilson, retired Air Force officer, will give the Memorial Day address, followed by the laying of wreaths by members of the VFW and the American Legion. There will also be a special VFW tribute to veterans of all wars and a laying of a wreath to honor all prisoners of war and all missing in action. Both the Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops will take part in the ceremony as well.

Veterans who have died in the past year and are now buried in Evergreen Cemetery will be named and remembered.

The official Memorial Day program will conclude with the sound of Taps played by high school musician Ryan Detloff.

In case of inclement weather the program will be held at the Centennial Auditorium at Staples Motley High School in Staples.

Following the program a lunch will be served at the

Lions' Build- ing on Wisconsin Ave. SE to all particip ants and those attend-

ing the

pro- gram. A free will offering will be taken. The Staples American Legion Auxiliary is in charge of the luncheon.

On Friday, May 22, at 4 p.m. members of the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will place flags on the veterans' graves in Evergreen Hill Cemetery. The flags will fly from Friday evening until Monday evening at 6 p.m., when the flags will be removed. The city of Staples will put up the street flags for the holiday weekend.

This year as well, the American Legion and VFW have purchased five new flags which will fly over the all veterans memorial at the cemetery.

The service organizations remind citizens the American flag should be flown at half staff until noon Memorial Day.

Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day, and was officially proclaimed May 5, 1868, three years after the Civil War, by orders of General John Logan. The first Decoration Day was observed May 30, 1868. In 1882 the name was changed to Memorial Day. In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May.