Veterans remember fallen friends
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo honored fallen service members today at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park.
“You see them, shake hands, eat breakfast with them, and at the end of the day, they’re gone,” said U.S. Army veteran Wayne Lauderdale.
Veteran Wayne Lauderdale served for twenty years in the army, including service in the Gulf War.
Though proud to have served his country, Lauderdale said the battle wasn’t easy.
“I lost a lot of comrades and close friends. A lot of close friends that I used to shake hands with. Or that morning, you saw this individual, and you wake up at the end of the day, and you’re having a roll call, and this individual doesn’t answer the roll call,” said Lauderdale.
U.S. Representative Trent Kelly was the featured speaker for The City of Tupelo’s Memorial Day Ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.
He spoke on his personal military experiences and acknowledged the lives lost in war.
“I want to honor all those soldiers, the sailors and marines, and airmen who have served, and all those gold star families. And thank them for service, commitment, and sacrifice for the greatest nation in the world,” said Kelly.
Military Veteran Brad Davis said Memorial Day is emotional.
“I went with the 155th Brigade in 2005. I went to Iraq. We lost several guardsmen as well as active-duty deployment,” said Davis.
Davis said sometimes the battle can be even more challenging when soldiers return home.
Many veterans deal with the trauma or the grief from war.
“It’s a difficult thing especially around the guard… (We have a lot of the same) hometowns…We know each other. We’re really tight, so the impact is different when you lose people you know and serve with,” said Davis.
Gold Star Families, the immediate relatives of those who lost someone in war, were also recognized at the ceremony.
Representative Trent Kelly also spoke about the 29 members of the 155th Brigade Combat Team who lost their lives after returning home from service in Iraq.
