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Veterans groups pay respects to comrades who sacrificed for others
Staff writer
jstevens@observer-reporter.com
GARARDS FORT - Greene County observed Memorial Day weekend much as it does each year with parades and services at town squares, honor rolls and cemeteries.
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Grimes, who served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969 as both an enlisted man and an artillery officer, spoke at a service Sunday at Garards Fort Cemetery.
The service was conducted by the Carmichaels Honor Guard, consisting of members of Carmichaels American Legion Post 400, Carmichaels Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3491, Greensboro VFW Post 6303 and Bobtown VFW Post 5567.
The honor guard had a busy Sunday morning, beginning with services at 10 a.m. at Glades Church; 10:30 a.m. at Muddy Creek Cemetery; 11:15 a.m. at Garards Fort Cemetery; noon at the Bobtown Honor Roll; 12:30 p.m. at Greensboro VFW; and concluding at Monongahela Hill Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.
In his brief speech, Grimes said it is important to see the community come together on Memorial Day, "on this hilltop, in this sunshine, on this Sunday morning."
American flags decorating veterans' graves waived gently in the breeze. "There is a peacefulness here," Grimes said, "and it's peacefulness obtained through freedom."
Grimes also said there is a sacredness about Memorial Day, "and we all need to call on God to preserve our way of life."
Prior to 1947, Memorial Day was widely celebrated as Decoration Day, which traced its beginnings to the years immediately following the Civil War. The day was a time for families to go to their community cemeteries to take care of the graves of family members.
As the years passed and the number of veterans began to grow from the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam, the holiday began to be viewed as a day primarily to honor this country's veterans.
But today that tradition may be starting to fade as the veterans who have organized Memorial Day services for the last 50 years themselves begin to fall, and the crowds that gather for these events grow smaller and smaller.
Memorial Day is the day Americans honor veterans who gave their lives to protect this country's freedom, Grimes said.
He asked those in attendance to remember how important it is that communities come together to honor those patriots "who have gone before us."
The Rev. Erwin "Woody" Wilson, a retired Air Force sergeant, served as master of ceremonies for the program, and Frank Kirk, commander of Carmichaels American Legion Post 400, supervised the military rites.
Veterans groups pay respects to comrades who sacrificed for others : 5/26/2009
What a wonderful article. My family and I attended the services at the Garard's Fort Cemetary. My parents and most of my family are buried there. I knew several of the veterans who are buried there. I grew up in Garard's Fort but live in Atlanta now. Today I drove through the Veterans Cemetery in Marietta, Ga so I could pay my respect to all the veterans Having been to Pearl Harbor and Normandy I realize how much the Veterans gave and are still giving so that I can live in this great country. My thoughts were with you Sunday and all of us need to remember how much they sacrificed.
