Granholm asks Michigan to honor war dead

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

Lansing, MI – (Lansing, MI) - AP
Governor Granholm used her weekly radio address to encourage people to recall members of the armed forces from Michigan who've been killed in combat.

"We must remember the meaning and importance of Memorial Day," she said. "It's a day to honor the men and women of the armed forces who gave their lives to defend freedom, our country, our way of life. In the year since we last commemorated Memorial Day, 11 more members of our armed forces who call Michigan home died in Iraq or Afghanistan."

A total of 176 members of the military from Michigan have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Veterans groups say the governor and the state are being less generous with their gratitude for service members who've returned from armed conflicts. The governor's enacted emergency budget cuts that have rolled back 25% of the state's programs to assist veterans. They say those cuts have been more difficult because they have to be absorbed in just five months.