Memorial Day ceremony canceled
The community’s annual Memorial Day ceremony, scheduled for May
25, has been canceled for the first time since its start in 2009 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Arkansas Department of Health in the directive and the guidelines that they sent out through the governor, it says discourage anyone over 65 years old from attending; you know, the seniors are the most at-risk … well, that is most veterans, well certainly our veteran’s committee,” Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park Chairman Jo West Taylor said.
“Only a couple of them are younger than 65. So for the health and the welfare
of the veterans we decided not to have it.”
Instead, the committee is asking all citizens to observe a moment of silence at noon on Memorial Day to remember all veterans living and deceased, a news release said.
As an alternative, there is currently a planned assembly for Veterans Day at 11 a.m. Nov.
11 at the Veterans Memorial at
118 Orange St.
“It’s so important to honor the veterans and we try to do that every day at the Veterans Memorial,” Taylor said. “I think it’s important that we (hold the ceremony), but … we certainly will honor it on Veterans Day because hopefully then all this will be behind us and we’ll do Memorial Day and Veterans Day together. … Some of them gave all, but they sacrificed a lot for us and for our freedom.”
The Memorial Day ceremony usually draws 200-300 people, she said, which is another reason they decided to cancel because it would exceed the 50-person limit for gatherings.
“I said there’s no way we can tell a veteran he can’t come because they’re number 51 or 55,” Taylor said. “And I appreciate the guidelines — I’m not complaining, because it’s for everybody’s good. So it’s easy for us to comply because we do agree, we just hate that we’re not going to have this.”
She noted she thinks the cancellation of the event will have an impact on the veterans, who look forward to it, because every year at the event when the bugler plays the music for the U.S. Air Force or the U.S. Marines, they all stand up and are “still very proud” and “we should be proud of them and for them.”
“I have a bumper sticker that says ‘If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank a veteran,’” Taylor said. “I think that we should thank a veteran every day for us not to be, you know, we could be under the rule of Germany or Japan. It’s because the veterans stepped forward and went into service, and a lot of them younger than they were supposed to, that they sacrificed for us and our freedom.”
According to the release, another way to commemorate veterans is to donate a brick or paver for the veteran’s service to the country, or to a family, or for friends and loved ones to be placed in the memorial walkway at the Veterans Memorial.
“All names of 2020 bricks and pavers honoring veterans will be read during the Veterans Day Ceremony,” the release reads. “Our memorial assures that our veterans are recognized, honored and thanked for their service and sacrifice that they provided to us and our county.”
Honorary bricks and pavers with the names of the veterans may be made through donations to the memorial. Call Dick Holden at 501-627-8756 or email dick.holden@gmail.com, or call Secretary Pam Hill at 501-5387400 or email pamhill49@yahoo.com, for more information.