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Kent County Board of Commissioners holds Memorial Day observance, issues proclamation
Summary
The Kent County Board of Commissioners held a Memorial Day observance May 26, 2025, issued a proclamation honoring those who died in service, heard remarks from veterans and displayed a missing man table as a symbol of remembrance.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners opened its May 26, 2025, meeting with a Memorial Day observance that included a proclamation honoring residents who died in military service, musical performance, remarks by local veterans and a presentation explaining the symbolism of a missing man table.
The board issued a proclamation calling on residents to observe Memorial Day on Monday, May 26, 2025, with “reverence, gratitude, and reflection,” and to remember “those who died in service to The United States.” Chair Jared Green introduced the proclamation and Commissioner DeBoer participated as the board’s representative on the Veterans Services Committee.
The proclamation framed Memorial Day as a solemn occasion that “calls upon all Americans to pause in reflection” and urged residents to recognize the loss to families and communities. Kent County veteran of the year Joe Klein offered brief remarks thanking the county and urging residents to remember veterans’ sacrifices. Jeremy Biner, a Marine Corps veteran and the county’s veteran service officer, described Memorial Day as “a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom” and listed names of comrades he said did not return from combat.
Vice Chair Burrell described the missing man table placed in the hallway outside the meeting chamber and explained its elements: a round table for everlasting concern, a white cloth for purity, a single red rose for lives lost and loved ones who wait, a slice of lemon for the bitterness of fate, grains of salt for tears, an inverted glass to represent the absent toast, a lit candle for hope, and an empty chair for those who are not present. Burrell said the display is used in American Legion posts and other veteran observances and asked residents to honor the fallen “with our actions, with gratitude, with service, and with enduring resolve.”
Chair Green closed the observance with a moment of silence and invited Joe Klein to play Taps. The board then shifted to its regular agenda, thanking the veterans and staff who participated in the observance.
The observance included a performance of the national anthem by Rachel Gillette and formal recognition of veterans and staff who organized the ceremony.
