Annual WWI Polar Bear Memorial Day Service

On Monday, May 28, 2012, will host the  82nd Annual WWI Polar Bear Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. 

Known as “Michigan’s own” and “the Polar Bears,” the Polar Bear Expedition was a contingent of about 5,000 U.S. troops from the 85th Division, 339th infantry (mostly from Michigan) who landed in Arkhangelsk, Russia and fought the Bolshevik forces in the surrounding region during the period of September 1918 through July 1919. 

An expedition under the auspices of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) was successful in organizing and conducting a recovery mission in the autumn of 1929 that found, identified and brought out the remains of 86 U.S. soldiers.  Another dozen remains of Polar Bear soldiers were shipped by the Soviet Union to the U.S. in 1934, which reduced the number of U.S soldiers still buried in North Russia to about 30.  The remains of 56 Polar Bear soldiers were eventually re-buried at White Chapel Memorial Cemetery surrounding the Polar Bear Monument by sculptor Leon Hermant. 

“Our Memorial Day weekend activities have become a tradition that families look forward to each year,” said David R. Krall, vice president of White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery. “We are honored to host these special celebrations to honor the men and women of the military.  It is important to remember their sacrifices and to celebrate their achievements.  Well over a thousand people attended the Memorial Day weekend events at White Chapel last year.”

In addition to the two events, a boulevard lined with more than 400 American flags and leading to the Memorials in honor of WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf War Veterans, as well as a POW/MIA memorial, will welcome visitors to White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery.

White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 621 W. Long Lake Rd. (just West of I-75) in Troy.  For more information, visit www.whitechapelcemetery.com.