Cool, misty weather greeted the Coplay Stanley W. Reinhard Jr. American Legion Post 426 Honor Guard members as they began the annual Memorial Day ceremony May 24 at the Coplay Saengerbund war memorial at South Fifth and Hokendauqua streets.

Post 426 Commander Lawrence Gutleber, along with Al Thomas, Roland Yudt and Joseph Bundra, fulfill their duty by holding the Memorial Day event honoring service members fallen in defense of the nation. The outdoor event includes stopping at eight locations in Coplay, Stiles and Hokendauqua.

At the war memorial at Coplay Saengerbund, a prayer is read by Gutleber, a salute to the dead occurs, and it concludes with the playing of taps by Navy veteran Bundra.

The honor guard travels to and repeats the ceremony at the St. Peter Catholic cemetery, St. John’s cemetery in Stiles, the Stiles war memorial on Chestnut Street, the Coplay Cemetery, the Coplay war memorial at Maple and Chestnut streets and on Coplay-Northampton Bridge to deposit a wreath from the bridge onto the Lehigh River to honor those lost at sea.

The ceremony ends at the Post 426 headquarters, 134 S. Second St.

Gutleber, at the close of the ceremony, expressed gratitude to those who participated and attended to make the 2026 ceremony a success. He noted the importance of the solemn event honoring those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation in preserving our freedoms.

Established in the 1930s, Post 426 has held this gathering for decades. Longtime Post leader and member Yudt was asked how many years the Coplay Post Memorial Day weekend ceremony has occurred. Yudt said they were doing this ceremony before he was born.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, a leader of the Grand Army of the Republic, established Decoration Day May 5, 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. Logan said it was time for the nation to decorate the fallen Civil War graves with fresh spring flowers. Decoration Day evolved into Memorial Day after World War I to honor all fallen veterans.

There are a number of Grand Army of the Republic veterans buried in the Coplay Cemetery, located on Ninth and Oak streets.

The numbers of the American Legion Honor Guard have diminished over the years, it was reported. In a testament of Gutleber’s commitment and passion to honoring those fallen service members, he said it will continue even if he ends up the only Post 426 veteran remaining.

“If I am the last one, and if I have to crawl to these eight locations, I will,” he said.