TO OUR FAMILY, OUR FRIENDS, & OUR COMMUNITY:

Each year on Armed Forces Day, the 3rd Saturday in May, is a day we pay tribute to men & women who serve in the United States Armed Forces.  Just around the corner is Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, a day we honor & mourn over all military personnel who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Being the patriotic community that we are, we pay tribute to all men & women who serve or have served in not just the six (6) armed forces, named under United States Federal Law, but all eight (8) uniformed services of the United States.

OUR 6 NAMED ARMED FORCES:

ARMY
MARINE CORPS
NAVY
AIR FORCE
SPACE FORCE
COAST GUARD

AND OUR RESERVES:

  ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
  AIR NATIONAL GUARD

We have a special Memorial Ceremony for all of those that not only died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, but all those who have served & died later, those Missing in Action, all of our Prisoners of War, and our surviving Veterans.

We pay tribute to our Veterans and we have a special drawing, just for them with the Winner of the Drawing, taking home a handmade quilt, of Veteran appeal, relating to our all American red, white, & blue.  This quilt is special made and hand crafted by a handful of women, from Greenbrier Quilting with Friends, a neighboring community, who are just like the rest of us, in that, we are all here because our ancestors survived a war.  These women put their hearts & their souls into making this special quilt, and they do so every year, with anticipation for the next Winning Veteran to be able to take home and enjoy, with the thought of one day being passed down their family line, always keeping honor & valor in their daily thoughts & prayers.

We would, cordially, like to invite all of you to join us in paying tribute and honoring all of our American troops and would like you to encourage those in your families that have a veteran living with you, to attend this event.

Conway Women’s Choir will be entertaining us throughout the Memorial Ceremony, with their known & outstanding beautiful voices.  Conway’s Arkansas Army National Guard will be serving as Honor/Color Guard, Presentations by two (2) special Veterans, Command Sgt Maj Jim Baker, U.S. Army Nat’l Guard, Ret and SPC-5 Van Lamar, U.S. Army, Ret.  A Memorial Wreath will be part of a presentation, beautifully designed by Tipton Hurst Florist, Conway, a neighboring community.

Our own local and Justice of the Peace David Meeks, District 12 will be leading us in the pledge to our POW/MIA Flag and all of this would be for nothing without prayer.

Prayer will be led by Pastor Zachary Gibbs of Soul Food Cafe Mission, an organization providing an opportunity for churches & people of faith from our communities to help in distributing, feeding, clothing, & ministering to those in need.

Our United States of America was founded upon God.  It is written on our Declaration of Independence, our history books, our country’s songs & anthems, even on our bills & coin.  We give thanks & praise to our Lord, our God, our Father who art in heaven, not just for the daily blessings He bestows to all who believe, but all of the blessings He has  bestowed upon our country, our military, alone, ranks among the world’s largest state armed forces.  The U.S. Armed Forces are considered the world’s most powerful military, especially since the end of the Cold War.  The expenditure of the U.S. was $916 billion in 2023, the highest in the world.  Our Armed Forces have significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful technologies which enable widespread deployment around the world, including round about 800 military bases outside the United States.  The U.S. Air Force is the world’s largest air force, followed by the U.S. Army Aviation Branch.  The U.S. Naval Air Force is the 4th largest air arm in the world & is the largest naval aviation service, while U.S. Marine Corps Aviation is the world’s 7th largest air arm.  The U.S. Navy is the world’s largest navy by tonnage.  The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s 12th largest maritime force and the list goes on and on…

God has blessed us from the beginning.  We can give thanks to Him for the blessings He has bestowed upon us, our Country, our Military Personnel who have gone before us and our Retirees & our Veterans today, for they are the ones who paved the way for us today, always keeping our country, our land, “the land of the free & the home of the brave”.

Please join us in this ceremony.  Please help us to spread the word.  A couple of our own local food vendors will be there with all beef hot dogs, fresh ice cold lemonade, fresh, homeade baked goods & sweets.  Melissa Archuletta with Papa & Mamaw’s Grillin’ & Chillin” and Jazmine Shannon & her own, Hog Wild Pantry!  yum! yum!

Thank you to the ones that keep this ceremony going year after year, Ms Emily Harris & Ms Sue Miller.  We are Blessed!

written by:
Lisa M Vaden
City of Wooster