Dozens of area citizens gathered at Parkway Cemetery on Memorial Day morning to recognize the sacrifice made by those who gave their lives in military service.
A small parade of veterans, with those now residing at the Mississippi Veteran’s Home in Kosciusko leading the way, approached the venue between rows of American flags.
Attala County Veteran’s Service Officer Mervin Foster, U.S. Army, welcomed everyone, noting local public officials in attendance.
The featured speaker, Ryan Lindsay, 1st Lt. United States Air Force, arrived early, taking a few moments to thank and speak with each of the veteran’s home residents. Ryan Lindsay, who flew more than 40 combat missions during
Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned to Attala County following his military service. His wife, Sissy, sang the National Anthem.
The couple are local business owners, with Ryan owning Rebud Financial Group and Sissy owning Lindsay CPA.
Ryan joked at the outset of his remarks that Sissy had warned him away from telling a joke to open such a somber occasion.
“Sissy said, ‘Just the fact that you have an uncanny resenblance ot Forrest Gump is funny enough,’” he said before focusing on the meaning of the occasion.
Lindsay noted that while 42 million Americans have served in the military, one million have died in service, with another 1.5 million having been injured in service.
“Today is a day to remember our heroes to try to repay the debt we can never repay,” he said.
Lindsay choked back tears as he recounted one of his missions while serving, to fly 30 deceased American soldiers back to the United States after each of them had made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Words cannot describe how we felt. For the first time in my military career ... it hit home for me. That made war real,” he said.
Lindsay urged those in attendance to do soemthing for veterans during the year, such as visiting the veterans’ home.
The American Legion Riders held a formal flage retirement ceremony to close the day’s observances.
