DeKalb County took a moment Monday to remember its fallen soldiers.
A  Memorial Day program was held at the auditorium in the new county complex on South Congress Boulevard, followed by the laying of a wreath on the courthouse square.
Music was provided by Josh Gulley and Susan Hinton, and guest speaker Major Jerry Parker paid tribute to fallen heroes from across the nation.
The program also included an invocation by Chuck Olson, Pledge of Allegiance by Doyle Smith, and a remembrance of local soldiers by Judy Redmon.
Emma Rigsby played taps at the conclusion of the wreath-laying ceremony.
“Today is Memorial Day,” Parker said, “One of two national holidays when we honor those who serve in the Armed Forces. On Nov. 11 each year we honor our living veterans. Six months later, we honor and remember those who are no longer with us, especially those veterans who gave their lives on the field of battle.
“America is only 236 years old. But since July 4, 1776, there have been 1,317,812 Americans killed in action in our armed forces,” he continued. “That figure does not include the many thousands listed as missing in action.
“Memorial Day has gradually changed from a day of remembrance to a day best known now as a day for the beginning of the summer season and for the Indianapolis car race and the Coca-Cola 600 stock car race. However, there are still communities such as DeKalb County, which take time from the Memorial Day weekend activities to remember those who have served in our armed forces and who now lie silently in the grave waiting for the resurrection,” said Parker.
“While we are gathered here today, let us take time to remember the men from DeKalb County who gave their lives in battle in foreign lands and on far away oceans. Most of them were in their late teens or early 20s,” he went on. “We see their names on a plaque at the courthouse and we see their pictures on the wall at schools and in churches. Or in a living room, where a grieving mother after all these years, still mourns for her boy who never came home,” he said.
“These men from DeKalb County who died in service to our country did not want to die. But when they were called to duty, they did not flinch and they did not back down when they laid their lives on the line. They were and are our heroes today. We look at their faces in the pictures and notice how young they were. They never grew old. They are forever young. In some ways they are our greatest generation because they gave two lives for their country. They gave the life they had and they gave the life they never had so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have in America and here in DeKalb County.
“I believe our fallen veterans from DeKalb County would not want us to be sad faced on this Memorial Day. They would want us to enjoy the benefits of freedom they fought for and died for. I think they would also want us to remember them and what they did for us,” he said.
“As we leave here today to join family and friends at picnics, cookouts, and other Memorial Day activities, let each of us with real gratitude in our hearts promise that our fallen veterans will always be remembered and never forgotten.” Parker concluded.