Collegiate Times

For many Americans, the Memorial Day weekend is simply a three-day weekend of grilling and the Indy 500. For some Americans, however, the holiday is much more than that. It?s a celebration of those who didn?t come home, who died defending the United States. Southwestern Virginia has never been shy about celebrating its patriotism, and this was certainly the case on Monday.

One of the area?s larger celebrations occurred in Giles County, as the town of Narrows held a parade to honor veterans, followed by an assembly dedicated to honoring the veterans of American wars.

Participators in the parade rode and marched through the streets of downtown Narrows along with antique cars, local school groups and members of the community. Later in the day, members of the area came together at the Narrows Community Center for a program created as a tribute to men and women of all military services, police, fire and medical professions. The assembly was sponsored by the Green and Gold Booster Club ? supporters of Giles County High School ? the Narrows Police Department and the Narrows Fire Department, with special assistance from Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 6000.

The town organizers thought it was necessary to have an assembly for ?remembering the men and women who give so much so we may enjoy our freedom, our safety and our health.? Events in the assembly included speeches, the presentation of flags, the singing of a chorus of songs and a salute to the armed forces. One crowd-pleaser was a special performance done by the Stix Team, a dance and mime ministry team from the Glen Lyn Church of Christ. One member of the team, Larry Bowers, felt it was very important for the celebrations of Memorial Day not to go unnoticed. ?Memorial Day is necessary for us to unite together and honor those who served our country,? said Bowers.

Another member of the Stix Team was Todd Kellison, who was not only at the service as a performer, but also as a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army for five years. ?It is important for us to remember why we have freedom. We would not have it today without the work of brave men and women of our country that have volunteered,? said Kellison.

One particularly inspiring moment came with the speech of Arthur Clay Bane, a member of the New River Valley Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution, who reminded the audience of the price we have paid for our freedom. ?Freedom is not free. It is paid for by the sacrifices and blood of our friends and family,? said Bane.

Another noteworthy speaker was Pat McCracken, a member of the George Pearis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was quick to make an impact by listing off the statistics of the losses our country has undergone. McCracken recalled that 2,995 civilians were killed during the World Trade Center attack, 116,000 died in World War I, and 405,000 were lost in World War II, 58 of whom were from Giles county. She reminded onlookers that although tactics, weapons, uniforms and other such variables of war may change, there is one constant of military service in America. ?The selfless commitment to serve transcends through the generations in America,? said McCracken.