Memorial Day event honors the fallen, unites us

Published 11:29 am Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Monday is Memorial Day, a national holiday created to honor our war dead. Across the country ceremonies will be held to honor American soldiers who died to make this country more free, more prosperous and more humane.

Yet Memorial Day has evolved into something else.

It signals the end of a school year and the beginning of the summer season.

The real reason is to take time to remember those who served and died in our nation’s service.

Fortunately our community is blessed with an active American Legion Post which is spearheading a Memorial Day observance. Post 112 isn’t doing it alone.

They have engaged many others in the community to help make the ceremony special.

The Avenue of Flags will be put out on the Whitfield County Courthouse lawn and along King Street.

The day’s event will be highlighted with a program at the courthouse at 10 a.m. including presentation of colors by the Dalton Fire Department and Dalton Police Department Honor Guard. Then the Dalton-Whitfield Community Band will play the national anthem, followed by a laying of wreaths from different organizations, a speaker and many other events plus a salute by the Honor Guard of the American Legion.

After the ceremony, at Dalton Green, there will be free food and various booths with information about local services and organizations plus information for veterans and veterans’ families.

As a percentage of the population, only a handful of us will attend these events. Still, if you have an hour or so to spare, we urge you to attend the ceremony Monday.

Free societies benefit from commemorations that unite us. Honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice is something that brings a diverse society together, at least for one day.