Memorial Day ceremony honors fallen soldiers
Much of downtown Starkville was blocked off Monday for a solemn Memorial Day ceremony honoring those in the military that lost their lives serving their country.
The Memorial Day ceremony was sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, the MSU Bagley College of Engineering, OSERVS and Backstage Music. The event was held at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse and featured guest speakers including elected officials and veterans.
Retired Navy Captain Robert A. Green conducted the ceremony on behalf of the Military Affairs Committee.
Retired Master Chief Carl. S. Wofford was a member of the U.S. Navy Seabees in Vietnam, the Cuban Crisis and Panama. Wofford said everyone should spend Memorial Day and every other day remembering the 1.2 million soldiers that never returned home from battle and cherish the freedoms made possible by their sacrifice.
He said following the event he was looking forward to remembering his fellow servicemen and said the crowd made the event special for
him, other veterans and the families of those killed in combat.
“We couldn’t have done it without the people here,” Wofford said. “Just remember the veterans, support your veterans, support your veteran’s organizations. They can’t survive without you.”
Vietnam veteran Jack Cook served 20 years in the United States Air Force before retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Cook said he was thankful that so many soldiers were able to come home because of the many that weren’t able to.
“This is just a remembrance of all those that went before us, that served gallantly and honorably, some giving their lives to our continued freedom and just showing our appreciation for what they could do for us,” Cook said. “To recognize those that gave the ultimate sacrifice, thankful that so many of us were able to come home because of that sacrifice those men and women have given for our country.”
Mike White, retired Dean of Students at Mississippi State University, served as the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day ceremony and highlighted the importance of distinguishing between Memorial Day, which honors those killed in the line of duty,
and Veteran’s Day, which honors military veterans that are still alive.
White entered the U.S. Army in 1967 and served in the 25th Infantry Regiment in Vietnam before returning home and ultimately working as MSU’s dean of students for 17 years before retiring in 2009.
“There’s a lot of veterans here today,” White said. “This is not our day. It has nothing to do with veterans. It’s a fact that escapes many Americans.”
Other speakers at the event included Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman, Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisor’s President Orlando Trainer and Bryan Locke of the Center For America’s Veterans at MSU.
Following White’s address to the crowd, veterans read the names of each soldier killed overseas and the war in which they were killed.
A wreath-laying ceremony was then held at the stone memorial outside of the courthouse, which bears the names of every Oktibbeha County solider killed in battle.
To close out the ceremony, Carey Hardin of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 14, played “Taps” on the bugle as the American flag was slowly raised in front of the courthouse. A flyover of two World War II-era planes ended the ceremony.
The SDN has a live stream of the full ceremony available on the SDN Facebook page.
Here are the names of those from Oktibbeha County killed overseas and remembered on Memorial Day:
GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM
Courtland Kennard Robert “Taylor” McDavid
VIETNAM WAR:
Robert H. Bennett
L.C. Carter
George E. Collier Charles E. Finney Robert M. Hill Charles L. Hunter Lewis J. Jackson Victor Johnson, Jr. Williams N. Johnson Jack P. Lighte, Jr. Steven L. McGinnis Theodore R. Sherman, Jr. Victor M. Stribling Clifton F. Vaughn George H. Ward Thomas L. Ward James Wimberly Lewis
KOREAN WAR:
Herman W. Blankeship Claude H. Daniels, Jr. James O. Dorsett Charles A. Hamill Willie Hamilton Harold Harper Williams M. Ross W.C. Sanders, Jr. Johnny M. Strong Lewis Williams
WORLD WAR II:
Carroll S. Adams James W. Barton John Boswell, Jr. Garnett S. Beattie Dero P. Bell Wayman D. Betts Floyd M. Bowman George M. Bryan Pharis H. Butler L.C. Coapling Harry T. Critz, Jr. Thomas F. Critz Claude Ellington Charles M. Foster Charles R. Fox Marshall Fulgham Graham M. Gholson Billy B. Gray Edward B. Gunn Ira E. Hamblin James P. Hartness, Jr. Lawrence R. Heflin William J. Huffman William S. Jackson Lee R. Jerry
John W. Johnson Judson B. Johnson Lee W. Johnston, Jr. Guy H. Jones Will A. Jones James F. Josey Jessie M. Kellum Thomas Kennard William A. Legan Claude Livingston Felix B. Long Roger E. McClelland Lee McGinnis
John F. Madden Leland Meadors Julius W. Morris James N. Jason James H. Parker James A. Retherford Bose L. Rives Robert H. Sanders Wilburn P. Saunders, Jr. John C. Savage Franklin C. Seiler Albert Walker, Jr. Eustace P. Williams Foda Williams Andrew Winston Simon H. Yeatman
WORLD WAR I:
Walter Bishop Edwin McMullen Elmer McMullen Robert Price John Retherford Oscar C. Sanders John C. Skelton Norman Scogan