Workers nestled large stones onto bases and secured them in place Wednesday at the East Mississippi Veterans Park as additional monuments were added ahead of a Memorial Day ceremony set for Saturday.

 

The slabs, which make up the Armed Forces Plaza, include one for each branch of the military, as well as a central stone inscribed with the history of the American Flag, Bald Eagle, national anthem and more. The plaza sits directly opposite from the park’s Wall of Remembrance where previous ceremonies have been held.

 

Also being added to the park Wednesday was a Historic Freedom Timeline Wall, giving visitors a historical amount of Mississippi and the United States, as well as the country’s military history ranging from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terrorism.

 

In a news release announcing the additions, East Mississippi Veterans Foundation President Jeff Summerlin said the wall is intended to be both a reminder of those who served and an educational tool that can help local students learn about history.

 

““This wall will be an educational classroom outside of the classroom,” he said, “We truly hope that all area schools will take advantage of this wall of knowledge in teaching area students about American history”.

 

Another addition is a static display of a vertical stabilizer off a KC-135 Stratotanker, which are the aircraft currently used by The Mississippi Air National Guard 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field directly adjacent to the park. The tail piece will be divided with half paying homage to the Key brothers, who pioneered air refueling in 1935, while the other half displays the markings currently used by the 186th ARW.

 

The additions come as the community prepares to observe Memorial Day at the park, with a ceremony beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. The guest speaker for the event will be Rep. Michael Guest, who represents the state’s Third Congressional District and has been a vocal advocate for the 186th ARW.