Camp McCain Commander Lt. Col. Richard Weaver, the featured speaker at the Pryor Memorial Service on the Calhoun City Square Saturday during SquareFest, opened his remarks saying, “For your tomorrow we gave our today,” as he paid tribute to Slate Springs native Gen. Fox Conner.
“Memorial Day is one day set aside each year to remember those who Abraham Lincoln observed gave the last full measure of devotion. We’re here today because of them,” Weaver said. “They fell in the jungles of the South Pacific, on the bloody beaches of Normandy, on the icy slopes of Korea, the peninsulas and rice paddies in Vietnam, on the mountains and in the caves of Afghanistan, and on the sands of Iraq. Their sacrifice has also beqeathed a National Guard force of which I am a part of.”
“The National Guard has 453,000 Army and Air currently now serving, many of whom are your neighbors. They’re fighting the enemy overseas and natural disasters here at home,” Weaver said. “Since 9-11, Guard members have deployed more than 1.1 million times to places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, the Balkans, Guantanamo Bay and other locations. Despite knowing the dangers and time away from family, every soldier and airman in today’s National Guard has either enlisted or re-enlisted since 9-11. These are the kinds of men and women who swell our ranks.”
“During World War II we had the Greatest Generation, and I will never doubt that,” Weaver said. “But I will tell you now as a commander, the generation we have serving today is very close. The National Guard has changed significantly since our militia days and is now made up of men and women from 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia, committed to fighting America’s wars, protecting our homeland, and building global and domestic partnerships. They now serve seamlessly with our active duty Air Force and Army partners and share many of the same experiences more now than any other time in history.”
“This Memorial Day, as we spend time with our family and friends, please reflect on the legacy of all the brave men and women of our nation,” Weaver said. “By honoring our fallen warriors, we honor their legacy and ensure democracy, freedom, equality and lasting peace prevails. On behalf of a grateful nation, we salute them and pledge to never forget.”
“It’s extremely hard to send someone off (to war) knowing they might come home under the flag rather than carrying the flag,” Richard Thornton, VFW Dist. 8 Vice Commander, said in the Bruce program. He spoke of the many in his family who went off to serve. “We were blessed they all came home, but they didn’t come home with all they went with. It’s important we take the time to recognize them.”
“Freedom isn’t free. All gave some, some gave all,” Thornton said. “Every time you see an (American) flag, know that it was paid for with someone’s life.”
Will Dowling, pastor of Lewis Memorial United Methodist Church, was the featured speaker at the Calhoun City program Monday morning. He spoke on the importance of remembrance.
“There’s a reason God has given us this magnificent tool of memory,” Dowling said. “The way to trust what God is doing today and what God will do tomorrow is to remember what God has done yesterday.”
“We are called to honor and remember those who have given their lives in order that the soil of our nation remains free,” Dowling said. “We are to remember the sacrifice made by others so that freedom’s holy light keeps burning in our hearts and in our national conscience.”