Dear editor:

We would like to comment on a couple of opinions that came out on the Daily Star website about the Niles Memorial Day Parade.
If you knew someone who was “blown-off” about getting into the Memorial Day Parade, you should have called the Niles City Hall office at (269) 683-4700. All the ladies that work in that office are very respectful and know what is going on in Niles. The Memorial Day Parade is a very special parade because it has “always” been about our veterans. We take special care to include all the veterans we can in the parade. If someone is home on leave, we hope they will come down and participate in “their” parade.
If you think this parade is not important or not big enough, we have one comment on that. Come on over to the American Legion and get involved and help us make it bigger. But bigger is not necessarily better. We’ve had the war mothers who lost their loved ones in past and present day wars, he Color Guard to wave our country’s colors, and the Niles band played “Taps” for all of the veterans. Pastor Jeff Whittaker blessed the whole event and prayed for our country. What did we forget?
If your friends wanted to be in the parade, all they had to do was fill out an application and mail it in. The Niles Daily Star printed all the information for the parade, but more importantly, you could have just showed up.  In the last paragraph of that letter it always says if you didn’t get an application we will still put you in the parade, especially if you are a veteran.
This must have been a misunderstanding in communications, in which we are truly sorry.
If you live at the veteran’s home, you must have met Debby. She was with the lady from the American Legion Auxiliary who brought over gift cards for all the veterans at Christmas time. You all are important to us. You are our heroes, not just in a parade or around Christmas, but all year long. May God bless our wonderful country.

Kenneth and Debby Wolf
Niles