Retired general to present Memorial Day address

A recently retired four-star Army general will present the Memorial Day address in Shawano on Monday. Gen. Robert W. Cone, who retired in March after 35 years of service, is relocating to the Shawano area. “He retired this year and is moving up here,” said Bill Rosin, president of the Allied Veterans Council, which coordinates the city’s Memorial Day program. Cone most recently served as commander of United States Army Training Doctrine. He was responsible for training, education, leadership development, doctrine and concept development. He previously held command positions in Iraq and Afghanistan. His first assignment was in 1979 as an armor officer. The Allied Veterans Council is comprised of five organizations: Disabled American Veterans Chapter 22, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2723, AMVETS Post 10, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 26 and American Legion Post 117. “It’s a collaborative effort,” Rosin said. Parade participants will gather at 8:45 a.m. at Huckleberry Harbor. VFW member Lyle Hagen will be the parade marshal. The parade starts at 9:20 a.m. and proceeds down Fifth Street to Woodlawn Cemetery. The Shawano Community High School and Shawano Community Middle School bands will be among the participants. All veterans, clubs and organizations, police, firefighters, emergency personnel, Boy and Girl Scouts and others also are invited to join the parade. To honor the solemnity of the day, there will be no candy throwing, animals, politics, business advertising, bells or sirens. The Memorial Day program will be presented at Woodlawn Cemetery. In case of rain, the program will be held in the Shawano Community Middle School gym. Rosin said work is already under way to prepare the cemetery for the holiday. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will begin placing flags on veterans’ graves at the cemetery Thursday. “Every year, the (Boy Scouts) help us with it, and the Girl Scouts as well,” Rosin said. “The more the merrier. We have 1,200 flags to place.” Qualheim’s True Value donated flags for the Avenue of Flags at Woodlawn Cemetery.