Veterans, Active Servicemen in Community Take Time to Remember Fallen on Memorial Day

Veterans and active duty military members in the Northland observed Memorial Day from work -- some in jobs that keep our community running and safe.

DULUTH, Minn.- While different events honored those who gave their lives for our country, veterans and active duty military members in the Northland observed Memorial Day from work — some in jobs that keep our community running and safe.

Across the country at 3 p.m. Taps Across America events held a moment of silence and presented the colors honoring service men and women nationwide who died in the line of duty.

On Monday Fleet Farm held their first ever Taps event in front of the Hermantown store.

“Having been in the military myself overall it’s vitally important that it is that day we honor our vets,” said General Manager Paul Erickson.

“They needed to be recognized and remembered so the Memorial Day event is something very true to all of us I believe,” he said.

As veterans in the Northland took time from their lives to honor those didn’t make it home, some people who currently serve continued their day-to-day work keeping our lives moving while remembering the fallen.

“Personally it’s those very images that you kind of keep in your mind when you are deployed,” said Mark Halvorson.

Halvorson serves as a firefighter and technical sergeant for the 148th Fighter Wing. He also is a firefighter for the Duluth Fire Department.

Both jobs where he waits ready to jump into potentially dangerous situations to save lives: “they’re really one and the same,” he said, coming back from a possible structure fire call.

“It’s just a more minute community that I’m serving with Duluth here. So it’s really already kinda built into who I am and who many service members are,” he said.

While he’s spending his memorial day at work, Halvorson says this year is still special seeing people coming out in person again to remember those who gave all for this country.

“I think now that some of the COVID restrictions are lifting, in the absence of freedoms you really learn to enjoy them,” said the firefighter.

“When we step back to remember how this freedom was won, and what the cost was, it can really allow us to be grateful to our own communities and those who serve, and say wow, this is an amazing country that we live in,” he said.