Staff photo / David Skolnick Barry Hobbs of Canfield American Legion Post 177 lays a wreath on the grave of a military veteran at the Canfield East Cemetery at the organization’s 101st Memorial Day Service.

CANFIELD — Seeing hundreds of people turn out for Canfield’s 101st annual Memorial Day Service to honor those who died serving and protecting this country made Michael Kubitza, commander of the Canfield American Legion Post 177, very proud.

“It does my heart good to see the crowd,” Kubitza said Monday. “It’s kids in strollers all the way up to World War II veterans. Memorial Day is the day we honor people who died in service to our country.”

Kubitza added: “It’s very important to commemorate this day. It’s a way of honoring our dead and remembering the people who gave their lives to our country. It’s a special day for all of us.”

During the past two years, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the legion’s Memorial Day Service was restricted to about 15 of its members with a private ceremony at the Canfield East Cemetery.

“We came back in a big way this year,” he said. “It’s a nice turnout.”

Susan Krawchyk, executive director of the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission and the guest speaker at the Memorial Day event, said, “People gave their lives so we can have what we have today. It’s very important to remember that and it’s very encouraging that so many people came out.”

The “ultimate sacrifice” that so many service members made for the country touches “more than just the lives of their loved ones and friends,” she said. “When their stories are shared in our neighborhoods, our homes, our schools and our places of worship, these men and women become a part of the collective identity of our hometowns. The stories of their sacrifices live on in the memories of their loved ones and at observances and through inscriptions on memorials and plaques dedicated to the legacy of their generation. They instill a sense of pride among citizens. They inspire new generations to raise their hands in service.”

Barry Hobbs, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam during the war there, said the event”means a lot. I lost a lot of relatives and people I served with in wars.”

He said he was overwhelmed by the number of people who came to Monday’s event.

“It means they still respect us and the sacrifices that were made,” Hobbs said.

Jim and Kelly Meyers of East Main Street used spray paint to decorate their front lawn for Memorial Day including red, white and blue stars.

“We want to honor the fallen during Memorial Day,” Kelly said as she and her family watched people walk from the Green to the cemetery as part of Monday’s event.

dskolnick@vindy.com