Breckenridge community gathers for Memorial Day Service
A small crowd gathered on the Stephens County Courthouse lawn this morning, Monday, May 30, to honor the local veterans who have died last year.
The annual Memorial Day Service was held in downtown Breckenridge on Monday, May 30. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
The annual Memorial Day Service began with a welcome by Russell Blue with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7767 Auxiliary.
“I want to thank you all for being here this beautiful day of remembrance, remembrance for the women and men that so diligently put their lives in front of us, for everything, for this country, a country that we have freedom to be able to sit here and have a memorial service,” Blue said. “I personally want to thank the family members of our departed, as on this day, it is a day of remembrance. We salute them for all their services. As a grandson to a service member of World War II, I honor all and every military veteran and especially give honor to the ones that have gone before us, tending the ground and giving us our freedoms in the United States of America. God bless the fallen; you will never be forgotten.”
Rhyder Johnson led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Todd Weger lowered the flag to half-staff. Trey McDuff gave the invocation.
Julie Grissom with the VFW Post 7767 Auxiliary read the names of following 23 veterans who died in 2021 and whose names were engraved on the Veterans Monument on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn:
Raymond Leon Anderson- Phillip Berton, Sr.
- John Walter Bryan
- Johnny Roger Conner
- Wallace R. Cullers
- Frances M. Curry
- William Paul Elledge
- Bobby Green
- Bob Harbison
- Johnny Hill
- Michael Jones
- Bernard Lorence, Sr.
- Helen “Joey” Lozowski
- Al Maag
- Jimmie McMillan
- Robert Joe Mehaffey
- Rogelio Perez
- Robert “Bob” Phariss
- James Robbins
- Harold Shackelford
- Robert C. Swan
- John Thomas
- Jess “Jay” Waggoner
Additionally, the names of two local veterans who died in previous years were added to the monument this year: Clifton Sidney Curry (1975) and Johnny F. Hall (2020).
Dannie Lee gave the Memorial Day message and benediction. The ceremony concluded with the playing of Taps.
Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the ceremony.
Veterans Charles Studebaker, left, and Donal Yoes salute during the playing of Taps at the conclusion of the 2022 Memorial Day Service at the Veterans Monument in downtown Breckenridge. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
American flags adorned the Veterans Monument on the Stephens County Courthouse lawn for the annual Memorial Day Service. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: On Memorial Day, May 30, Julie Grissom with the VFW Post 7767 Auxiliary reads the names of the veterans whose names were added to the Stephens County Veterans Monument this year. To see more photos from the service, click here for the Breckenridge Texan Photo Gallery. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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