Article text:
Standing at 40 feet tall, the new silver carillon at Great Lakes National Cemetery tolled its bells and sang to the hundreds of AMVETS and guests at its dedication ceremony this morning.
"It's a great reminder of the life of sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform," said cemetery director Rick Anderson.
He said Michigan AMVETS have been planning the carillon's installation since the cemetery opened in 2005.
The dedication ceremony started with a prayer, the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem rendered by the carillon.
Remarks were made by AMVETS Department of Michigan Commander Anthony Lema, who explained some of the steps taken to fundraise for the carillon, including an air show and a party with a donation jar.
Multiple AMVETS posts from around the area came to celebrate the dedication, filling up the chairs placed alongside the carillon and standing around the bell tower.
"Most of the time these memorials ... only have 30 to 40 people," said Bob Downer, chairman of the carillon committee and former AMVETS Department of Michigan commander. "We had out over 150 chairs. For a cold day, it turned out rather well."
The carillon at Great Lakes National Cemetery cost about $120,000, Downer said, and was funded by AMVETS Department of Michigan and several private donors.
Downer said AMVETS has put a carillon in ever national cemetery throughout the world.
The first carillon was installed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in 1949.
The carillon was decided upon to serve as a "living" memorial, with bells that toll every day and night.
The Great Lakes National Cemetery carillon is the 98th since the program began.
The dedication was concluded with a musical number by the carillon, including God Bless America, an enactment of a three-volley rifle salute and Taps.
"It's a tremendous honor for us to be able to have one as a living memorial," Anderson said. "That's what it is."-MLive article 10/29/2011
Note: The article refers to the bell tower as a
carillon throughout but it is not as it does not meet the minimum of 23 bells therefore it is waymarked as a
Bell Tower.