Cmdr. Matthew Penden, commander of Navy Reserve Center Meridian, speaks Monday at a Memorial Day tribute in front of the former Lauderdale County Courthouse. Photo by Thomas Howard

The names of 244 Lauderdale County residents killed while serving in the military since World War I were read aloud on the steps of the former Lauderdale County Courthouse Monday as the community held a Memorial Day tribute.

 

The annual event brings together county, city of Meridian and other elected officials, veterans organizations and local residents to observe the holiday dedicated to remembering those who died in service to their country.

 

Robbie Atkinson, who emceed the tribute, said Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to the summer season, but it is about so much.

 

“Memorial Day is a day for both celebration and grieve, accounting for the honor of our heroes and reflecting on our tragic loss,” he said. “This then is the mission of Memorial Day, to reach out in support of all military members and their families who have given their lives for us and our great country.”

 

While listening to the names being red, Atkinson challenged attendees to remember that those who died were not old, sick or injured. In many cases, he said, they were young men who had no idea of the sacrifice they would make or that their names would be engraved in stone outside the former courthouse.

 

“By remembering their lives here today, we continue to give value and meaning to their short-lived presence in our community and express our highest gratitude for their honorable service to us all,” he said.

 

Cmdr. Matthew Penden, commander of Navy Reserve Center Meridian and keynote speaker for Monday’s event, said the freedoms Americans exercise have been bought at a heavy cost throughout the country’s history and has a high cost to maintain.

 

“Freedom in this world has proven difficult to achieve and difficult to keep,” he said. “It comes at no small cost.”

Penden told the story of a local woman, Olena, who attended a recent family gathering. Olena had just lost her third husband to whom she was married for 24 years, he said. Prior to that, she had been married to her second husband for 45 years and had two children.

 

“As I’m listening to Olena at this family gathering tell us about her second and third husband, I’m starting to do the math,” he said. “She’s 91, married to two husbands for a total of 74 years, might have been some time in between.

 

“I got curious about the first husband so I said, ‘Tell me about your first husband,’ and with that she burst into tears.”

 

In 1950, at the age of 18, Olena fell in love and married her first husband in secret as his family did not approve, Penden said. Four days later, he left for army boot camp and then deployed to the Korean War. He died in combat a year later.

 

“He was lost, but based on the look on her face, he clearly was not forgotten. The scars remain two husbands, two children and over 70 years later,” he said. “He’s more than a name on a wall. They’re all more than a name on the wall.”

 

Memorial Day, one day a year, is not enough to truly honor the sacrifices of service members killed while serving, Penden said. To fully thank them, Americans must exercise the rights they gave their lives to preserve such as voting, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.

 

“What good would the Constitution and the Bill of Rights be if no one exercised their rights within them,” he said.

 

Americans must also be ready to defend those freedoms, he said, and make sure they are continued on to future generations. Global tensions are rising with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East and China pushing for control over Taiwan.

 

“Since so many have died preserving our freedoms, may we be reminded to day to yearlong honor their selfless sacrifice by enjoying the freedoms they secured, upholding the value of sacrificial service and preparing to defend these freedoms for generations after us,” he said.