American Legion members from Hickory Post 173 and Decatur Post 89 served as a Patriot Guard Thursday as they honored a fellow veteran who was laid to rest at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Newton.
SMSgt Retired Richard “Wayne” Ivy served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force as an airplane mechanic with the 437th Military Airlift Wing. Throughout his service, he was awarded the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with two Bronze oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Longevity Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
After retiring from the Air Force, Ivy went to work at Mississippi Department of Transportation, serving 16 years in the law enforcement division.
Visitation services were held 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4 and Thursday, Sept. 5 at Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Brandon. A committal service was held 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the MS Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
At the family’s request, Patriot Guard Riders attended both visitation and committal services to honor Ivy for his service and sacrifice to his country.
The Patriot Guard Riders was founded in 2005 with the mission of protecting the families of military veterans and first responders from protestors seeking to disrupt funeral services. Since then, the organization has grown to include chapters in all 50 states. For more information about the organization, visit www.patriotguard.org.
