The Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Newton hosted “A Day of Remembrance” ceremony on Memorial Day. The event, an opportunity to honor and remember those who dies while serving our country, was attended by a number of veterans, family, friends, along with one very special attendee.
Special Guest
World War II veteran Clyde Lacey, who at 100 years old still finds time to play golf three times a week, made his way over to Newton with his son, retired Army Veteran Rick Lacey, for the service and to visit with family in the area.
At the young age of 20 years old, Lacey joined the Navy and served in the South Pacific, where he flew PBYC planes for 18 months until the war was over. Lacey said that with all the training that he received beforehand, there were still some situations he wasn’t prepared for.
“I went through several schools in the states: radar, flight school, gunnery, and so forth. But when we got over there, it was a surprise to find that we had no supply line,” he said. “We had to do everything we could for food because there were no supply ships.”
And while many in American see Memorial Day as a holiday to cookout or have a great time with friends and family, Lacey is a strong reminder that many view the holiday in a much different way.
“It brings back bad memories,” Lacey said. “It shouldn’t. I should feel good about it that we’re still here, but that’s my impression.”
The Service
Master of Ceremony, Col. Mark Smith, executive director of Mississippi Veterans Affairs opened the ceremony, saying that the day was a time to honor the sacrifices of fallen service members, who put their lives on the line for our nation.
“These men and women answered the call to serve and to defend our country with courage, dedication, selfless service, also knowing the risk was great, but the cause was greater,” he said.
Smith added that today was also a day to recognize and offer comfort to veterans who served with those who had fallen and the gold star families and friends.
Smith introduced then introduced the guest speaker, Retired Maj. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins. Currently serving as CEO of Minact, Inc. in Jackson, Collins is a former Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard, with over 35 years of military service in the U.S. Army and the National Guard and also had served various commanding staff positions in units at every level.
Collins said Memorial Day was one of the most misunderstood holidays that’s celebrated in the country. “When I was a kid, it meant it was the first weekend of little league baseball, the opening weekend of the swimming pool down at the city park,” said Collins. “We were out of school at the time, so it was the first big holiday of the summer where we were going to have cookouts and barbecues. I didn’t understand it at that time.”
After 35 years of military service, Collins said that there’s no longer any misunderstanding of what Memorial Day is all about.
“It’s a day to remember. Not a day to remember death. It’s a day to remember smiles, laughter, good times, and maybe even some difficult times,” he said. “It’s a day for us to remember that individual in your life that you’ve come here to pay memorial to today.”
Collins added that we really need to remember who we’re remembering. And those are the men and women who’s served in our military service. While each military service will arm wrestle and fight over who’s the best service, when the time comes, they’ll stand shoulder to shoulder and fight with everything they have to protect and defend them. And that’s what serving in our military services is all about.
In closing, Collins asked those in attendance to enjoy their Memorial Day, but remember what made it possible. “When you have an opportunity to spend time with your family by biting into that rib, hamburger, hot dog, or potato salad, I just ask you to remember those men and women who made that possible. Those who gave their lives, making sure you and I have an opportunity to live, work and play in a free society.”
