February 3, 2012
Honoring Wisconsin's Fallen
Heroes
In the Senate last month, we
had the privilege of
honoring three of the
state’s heroes, Wisconsin’s
fallen soldiers. Their
families came to the State
Capitol where all Senators
gathered together to show their
respect. One of the three
fallen soldiers was from the
11th Senate District, and it
was an honor for me to meet
the family and express our
collective gratitude for the
sacrifice made on behalf of
our nation.
In the Wisconsin
Legislature, we honor these
military personnel through a
‘Fallen Solider’ ceremony.
It gave me great pride to
co-author the protocol for
this ceremony in 2005.
The protocol
ensures the State Senate
appropriately honors
Wisconsin’s heroes
in a manner that is
consistent and dignified for
both Legislators and families,
and in which the Legislature
pays tribute to
the brave men and women who
have fought and died
for our country.
The procedure
involves Joint
Resolutions honoring
deceased military personnel,
law enforcement officers
and firefighters.
When a member of the Armed
Forces has been killed in
the line of duty, the
Wisconsin Department of
Military Affairs notifies
the Senate, and
a
Senate
resolution honoring the
member’s service is
drafted.
Such resolutions and
corresponding ceremonies are
offered only if the family
of the soldier approves.
The Senate notifies the
family of the
intent
to honor the deceased
and makes arrangements for
them
to attend the Wisconsin
Fallen Heroes presentation
at the State Capitol in
Madison. During the
ceremony, family
members are typically
escorted to the Senate floor
for
the reading of the
Resolution, which is
then followed by all
Senators rising for a moment
of silence as the resolution
is adopted.
If the family is unable or
unwilling to attend the
ceremony,
a
citation of the
resolution is delivered
to the family.
After the ceremony, the
Resolutions honoring members
of the Armed Forces are
forwarded to the Wisconsin
Veterans Museum for
permanent archiving,
where they remain accessible
for family and visitors year
round.
The Senate ‘Fallen Soldier’
ceremony is more than just
formal resolutions and
solemn words. It is the
acknowledgement by the
state’s Senators,
representing over five
million Wisconsin residents,
that one of our citizens has
answered the call of duty
and paid the ultimate price
for our right to serve in
this chamber. The freedom we
enjoy to express our First
Amendment rights to engage
in the purest form of
representative democracy on
the floor of the Senate is
preserved by each man or
woman who wears the uniform
and takes an oath to support
and defend our
constitutional right to do
so.
Honoring our fallen soldiers
serves as an important
reminder to all of us that
each day, men and women in
uniform are fighting and
dying in order to protect
and defend our most basic
freedoms. I am grateful to
them and for what they are
doing for our state and
nation. Our fallen soldiers
truly are the ultimate
heroes.
-30-
Sen. Kedzie can be
reached in Madison at P.O.
Box 7882, Madison, WI
53707-7882 or by calling
toll-free 1 (800) 578-1457.
He may be reached in the
district at (262) 742-2025
or on-line at
www.senatorkedzie.com
