Members of the press and the general public are invited to join the City of Fitchburg Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 25th at the Fitchburg Senior Center located at 5510 Lacy Road (lower level of the Fitchburg Community Center), at 1:00 pm. This year’s keynote speaker is Todd Berge, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force Retired. Lieutenant Colonel Berge served over 20 years in the Active Duty Air Force. Lieutenant Colonel Berge was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through the ROTC program at the University of Wisconsin Madison. He has flown the A-10 Warthog and the B-2 Stealth Bomber and has logged over 3,000 hours of flight time during his career. Lieutenant Colonel Berge has flown combat sorties in Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lt. Col Berge finished his Air Force career as Commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment at the UW- Madison. Under his leadership, the detachment won the Right of Line award, which is the highest award given in Air Force ROTC, along with several other prestigious medals of honor.
Lt. Col. Berge has chosen “Saying Thank You to Our Military” as the theme for his speech. The Oregon/Brooklyn VFW Post 10272 will preside over the observance. At 2:30 pm, there will be a wreath laid at the Bob Schley Memorial by MM2 Bart Schley, which is located at 2377 South Fish Hatchery Road (former City Hall) in honor of the men and women who have sacrificed their lives while serving our country.