BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — The Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield will hold its annual Memorial Day program at 1 p.m. Monday at the Committal Shelter Plaza in the cemetery.
Keynote speaker will be retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Thrower. A Dexter native, Thrower was commissioned into the Army in 1987.He spent 20 years on active duty, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2008. He also spent two years in the Missouri Army National Guard from 1984-1986. He has a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree from Central Michigan University and is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College.
Since opening on Sept. 29, 2003, the cemetery has conducted over 3,500 interments. These have included individuals who’ve served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Iraq War periods.
The cemetery is the final resting place for many veterans, including former prisoners of war and those missing in action or killed in action.
Cemetery officials said families and friends of those interred as well as the general public are invited to attend Monday’s ceremony and help honor all veterans.