Vets prepare for 21-gun salute in front of the Edson at the Wirt Stone Dock in Essexville.
(MyBayCity Photo Courtesy of Mike Corkran)

---

ATTRACTION:
Crowds Thronging Edson for Veterans' Day Preview of Future?

November 18, 2012       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

Printer Friendly Story View

Skeptics who have doubted the drawing power of the USS Edson destroyer museum should have shown up for the Veterans Day event Sunday.

They would have seen enthusiastic visitors from various points on the map reveling in the idea of clambering aboard a real U.S. Navy warship.

Mike Kegley, a retired Navy chief petty officer and president of the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, expressed optimism that the flow of visitors to the ship will live up to predictions.



Some estimates by consultants are that up to 80,000 persons a year will visit the ship while it is docked near Independence Bridge in Bangor Township.

"It is a tourist attraction and, more than that, a floating tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Navy who have served this country throughout history," said one supporter of the project.

The panoply of patriotic symbolism on Sunday included:

uniformed color guards,

a 21-gun salute,

taps played on a bugle,

flag raising,

and a wreath dropped into the Saginaw River by Navy veteran Dolores Maillette highlighted the ceremonies honoring vets of all services and all wars.

The stage for Sunday's event was set by NBC25 that aired an hour-long special on the USS Edson on Saturday Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. on NBC25.

Part of the documentary was shot at the former Philadelphia Navy Yard where station personnel headed by broadcaster Bill Harris visited as the ship was prepared for its journey through the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lawrence Seaway to Bay City in July.

Former crew members of the Edson were among those interviewed by the TV25 team in Philadelphia.

http://www.minbcnews.com/news/ussedson/

Interested persons may order a DVD Copy of NBC25's special "USS Edson; A Living History" and $5 of the DVD charge will be donated to the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum.

---

Printer Friendly Story View

	Prior Article February 10, 2020 by: Rachel Reh Family Winter Fun Fest is BACC Hot Spot for 2/10/2020
	Next Article February 2, 2020 by: Kathy Rupert-Mathews MOVIE REVIEW: "Just Mercy" ... You Will Shed Tears, or at Least You Should

Agree? or Disagree? Leave a Comment!

---

Dave Rogers
Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read, respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City. (Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com) More from Dave Rogers

---

Send This Story to a Friend!       Letter to the editor       Link to this Story
Printer-Friendly Story View

---

--- Advertisments ---