For Giesen, serving on the honor guard a way to remember veterans’ service

He remembers members of the honor guard at a veterans’ funeral several years ago. Their presence meant a lot to the family of the former soldier. It told the family their loved one’s service was not forgotten. John Giesen took that memory and uses it to fuel an unyielding commitment to remember, to honor, the community’s veterans.

“There was an opening so I did not have to wait,” Giesen said. “The families of the veterans, they all really enjoy it.”

Giesen, the commander of the New Prague Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, joined the New Prague Veterans Honor Guard in 2016. He has not missed a veterans’ funeral the group has attended since joining the honor guard 8½ years ago. In addition to the 119 funerals, he also never missed an event the New Prague Veterans Honor Guard has participated in since joining the group in 2016. Having grown up on a farm near Union Hill, west of New Prague, and spending most of his adult life working in construction, he’s accustomed to the weather extremes the honor guard works in.

John Giesen is the son of Cecilia and Ray Giesen. Ray was a medic in Europe during World War II.

“We owe it to the veterans to be present,” he said. “That’s priority No. 1. It’s an honor to provide a service for them and their families.”

A Vietnam-era veteran himself, Giesen feels he owes the service to the veterans who came before him. He appreciates the...

To see more on this story pick up the November 7, 2024 print edition of The New Prague Times.