I live and work in this part of Tennessee.
Rest assured--Johnson City is patriotic, through and through, and there is nothing going on at the VA cemetery that comes close to defacing graves. It's a face-lift project meant to honor the veterans, their families and the country. To illustrate what I mean, here's how hundreds of us spent Memorial Day.......
Story published: 05-27-2008 • Johnson City Press
In Honor, In Memory - Veterans past, present, living, dead remembered in emotional Memorial Day ceremony at VA
By John Thompson
Elizabethton Bureau Chief
jthompson@johnsoncitypress.com
The Memorial Day observance at Mountain Home National Cemetery is always more emotional when the nation is at war in some faraway country.
Monday’s event was no exception. Most in the audience of 450 to 500 people wept openly during some of the most poignant moments in the program as their thoughts turned not only to the servicemen and women who died in past wars, but also to those young people still dying in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The tenor was set by Mountain Home chaplain Debra Brewer. Her opening prayer recalled the sacrifices made in wars that have spanned two centuries and she concluded with a hope for peace in several languages.
The emotions swelled during several musical presentations during the observance, especially a powerful rendition of the national anthem by Miss Northeast Tennessee, Jessica Nixon; a patriotic medley by Eddie Shelton; and taps performed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3382, the Jericho Temple Shrine and Jeff Hall.
One of the most emotional moments happened when Shelton sang “God Bless the U.S.A.” and the audience stood and joined in the singing. One old veteran in a wheelchair attempted mightily to stand for the song, but despite the efforts of two men to help him stand up, his legs could not hold him and he slumped back into his chair and cried.
There were many elderly veterans in attendance, and many of those were in wheelchairs. One of them was World War II veteran William Darden, who is now in the Mountain Home nursing home and preparing to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 4. He was pushed in his wheelchair from the nursing home to the ceremony by his son, City Commissioner and former Mayor Steve Darden.
Rep. David Davis was the keynote speaker and he mentioned the men from the 1st Congressional District who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq, including Jefferson Davis of Watauga, Stephen Maddies of Elizabethton, Brandon Read of Greeneville, Paul Thomason of Talbott, Robbie Light of Kingsport, William Bennett of Seymour, Victor Lieurance of Seymour, Alexander Coulter of Bristol, Mark Edwards of Unicoi and David Potter of Johnson City. He also included Trane McCloud, whose father lives in Elizabethton.
“By answering the call of duty with valor and determination, these brave men have set a standard of courage and hope that makes every citizen of our country proud,” Davis said.
Davis also paid tribute to Bradley Walker, who returned from Iraq after losing both legs to a bomb made out of propane tanks and dynamite. Davis said that despite his injuries, Walker remains strong and is training for a triathlon.
Davis said he has visited the servicemen and women in Iraq, Walter Reed Army Hospital and at Mountain Home and he has come away with three things they want: better health care, better pay and better safety initiatives.
After those conversations, Davis said he voted this year for the largest increase in funding for veterans in the history of the nation, “and you deserve every penny of it.”
JMHO.
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