Ceremony pays tribute to war heroes

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard(McMinnville, Tenn.)

POWELL

With the lives of American soldiers continuing to be lost in Iraq, Warren County residents gathered for Memorial Day ceremonies Monday morning to pay tribute to all the Americans who have died during war.

The services at Warren County Memorial Airport took place before it was announced two more Americans were killed and several others wounded during two separate attacks Monday in Iraq.

“Today, the American people can bear witness to the reason why we remember our fellow servicemen and women,” said Lt. Commander David Powell, the keynote speaker.

“Operation Iraqi Freedom serves as a testament to the sacrifice that comes with the obligation of duty,” said Powell

Powell, an officer in the U.S. Navy, works with satellite systems and other high tech areas of communication from his station in Norfolk, Va. The Warren County native says he hasn’t been deployed to the Persian Gulf area to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom but has been performing his duties from the sideline.

Powell said it is important for Americans today to remember the servicemen who gave their lives fighting for this great nation.

“It is up to us, the living, to uphold their liberty with respect and reverence and heartfelt gratitude,” said Powell. “Today, the American people can bear witness to the reason we have freedom.

“Words can never repay the debt we owe those who died in military service. Those who we honor today number more than a million. That’s more than a million Americans who have given their last full measure of devotion.”

Following Powell’s speech, Ivey Hillis read a list of Warren County’s war dead from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. An honor guard composed of members from VFW Post 5064 and American Legion Post 173 then gave a salute to the war dead followed by the playing of “Taps.”