Sacrifices made by men and women in service to our country were honored Friday morning during a wreath-laying ceremony at Veterans Park in Tupelo. There are also many other services scheduled for Northeast Mississippi this weekend.
Memorial Day, which traditionally marks the start of summer, is celebrated in memory of those who died during their military service.
Friday morning’s service at Veterans Park was coordinated by the Lee County Republican Women’s Club. The event included prayers, a reading from Scripture and remarks on the significance of the sacrifices made to keep our nation free.
“For those who served, and for the families of those who died, every day is its own memorial,” said Fred Pitts of Tupelo, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War. “Around Memorial Day and other days like it, more people than usual think about it. Nowadays it is an honor to make people pause and remember in our own time. It’s special.”
All speakers agreed that words of honor and appreciation would never be enough to repay the sacrifices that have been made, but words and actions to preserve the freedoms so dearly purchased are what America’s citizens owe to the fallen .
“The citizens of many countries cannot come together the way we can,” said Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan.
While Americans may disagree among themselves and fight vigorously for opposing goals, the ability to put that aside when necessary and fight together on one side is an American trait too valuable to lose. The freedoms enshrined in the Constitution that allow citizens to debate among themselves are the same freedoms that people from every point of view have always united and sacrificed their own blood to defend.
“Thank you to all who served, but especially to the families of those who died keeping us free,” Jordan said. “Sometimes you may think you are not appreciated, but that is true.”
Ken Patterson, of Tupelo, is the historian for the local American Legion post.
“This is a time to pay tribute to all those who have fallen and died,” Patterson said. “Those who loved and were loved in return, who loved our country enough to die for it.”
Friday’s event included the laying of a wreath at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Veterans Park.
“We remember and carry in our hearts more than 58,000 souls whose names are engraved on that wall,” Patterson said. “Words cannot repay the debt we owe these men and women, but we must try. They entered the army not to die, but to serve a cause more important than their own lives. They served values and a civilization that was more valuable to them than their lives.
“It is up to us to ensure that we answer the challenge of the National Anthem, to ensure that the Star Spangled Banner continues to wave and to ensure that we can continue to live in the land of the free and home of the brave. ”
Gary Larson, a local pastor and a veteran himself, made a point of thanking those in attendance Friday morning.
“You being here says more than anything you can put into words,” Larson said. “It means knowing that someone fought and someone died so that you could be here.”
