East Mississippi residents are invited to join veterans organizations and local officials on Monday for the annual Memorial Day program at the East Mississippi Veterans Park.
The program is held to recognize and honor the sacrifice of U.S. armed services members who were killed while serving their country, said Tommy Horne, who serves on the Veterans Appreciation Committee organizing the event.
“It’s to commemorate the people who died in America’s wars and conflicts,” he said.
This year’s program is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday and will feature a flyover, 21-gun salute, reading the names of the fallen and more. Guest speaker for the event will be U.S. Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Jason Bird.
The Veterans Appreciation Committee previously held its annual Memorial Day event at the Doughboy Monument in downtown Meridian, however this year it will be at the East Mississippi Veterans Park, located next to Key Field Air National Guard base at 5955 M Street.
Jeffery Summerlin, president of the East Mississippi Veterans Foundation, said Monday’s program is a combined effort between the Veterans Park and Veterans Appreciation Committee. The two organizations got together last year and decided to host one Memorial Day event instead of the two separate events held in years past.
“Last year’s Veterans Day was a combined effort and Memorial Day this coming Monday is a combined effort,” he said.
Part of the vision for the park was to be able to host events like the Memorial Day ceremony, Summerlin said. Joining with the Veterans Appreciation Committee to organize Monday’s event is part of why the park exists.
Horne said everyone is encouraged to come take part in the event. Residents don’t have to be a veteran, family member or have other ties to the military to take part.
“You don’t have to have some kind of military connection,” he said. “We want everybody to come out.”
While both Lauderdale County and the City of Meridian lend support, the annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day programs rely on multiple veterans organizations and numerous volunteers to be successful, Horne said. More volunteers are always welcome to join in the effort.