“…the Rangers didn’t see a wall. They saw a mission. They saw the faces of those who would suffer if they failed. And so, they climbed.…That spirit – that quiet, resolute courage – is what Memorial Day is all about.…”
From Mark Kerry’s remarks at Natchitoches’ Memorial Day Ceremony
The Natchitoches’ VFW and American Legion Hall was filled with veterans, families, and citizens on Monday, May 26 as our community held its annual Memorial Day Program.
Jeremy Miller, NSU Army ROTC alumni, former Army officer and combat veteran, served as the Master of Ceremonies. The sharp young men and women of the NCHS Junior Army ROTC Color Guard presented the colors. Sara Puryear Dunn performed a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem. After the Anthem, Jack, Sophia and Katie Dunn led the Pledge of Allegiance. A group of community members took turns reading the names of deceased area veterans from WWI to the present day after which Janet and Geo Darfus and the band performed “Some Gave All”.
The new memorial bricks placed in the Veterans’ Memorial Park were then dedicated. One of the more notable names honored by a brick was that of the late Edith Marie Winberly-Patient, a Lieutenant Colonel and nurse in the Army Air Corps. She was one of the famous “Angels of Bataan”, held as a prisoner of war from 1942-1945 during which time she and her fellow nurses continued to care for ill prisoners. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landy signed a proclamation in her honor which was accepted by former U.S., Army Nurse Janet Darfus.
The Cane River Quilters honored two WWII veterans, Raymond Cedars and Urson Bacle with handmade quilts. Mark Kerry, the day’s keynote speaker, was also presented with a quilt
The Memorial Day address was superbly delivered by retired Army colonel and parish council member, Mark Kerry.
Community members took turns reading the names of veterans who passed away since last Memorial Day after which Dr. John Dunn played Taps.
In what has become a traditional ending for the Natchitoches Memorial Day ceremony, the audience joined the band in in singing the classic “God Bless America.”
This ceremony, and others like it across the country, bind us together as a nation. In the increasingly fractious country we find ourselves in, things like Memorial Day and its remembrances remind us of what is important. As Colonel Mark Kerry so aptly put it in his address: “… May we always honor the fallen by living lives worthy of their legacy… May God bless the fallen. May He comfort those who mourn. And may He continue to bless this nation they died defending…
