City of Dillon Mayor Tally McColl was the keynote speaker at the Memorial Day service earlier today. He delivered inspiring remarks about the importance and meaning of Memorial Day. Here are his remarks:
I am truly honored to be here with you this morning on such a solemn and historic day. It’s great to see such a great crowd of friends, family and veterans gathered out here on our beautiful Veterans Square. Although many consider Memorial Day the beginning of summer; I challenge you that it is much, much more. It’s much more than a long weekend, It’s much more than a motorcycle trip to the beach, It’s much more than a day grilling in the backyard with your family. It is a powerful reminder; a day to honor; a day to mourn; a day for all those who have given their lives while serving our country. It’s a day to reflect and Thank God, Thank God for the brave men and women that have given their lives so we could go to the beach today or grill in the backyard with our family. These men and women we honor were mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends and neighbors. But most of all they are heroes, they are our heroes.
As we stand out here on this beautiful morning surrounded by friends and family, we are reminded that our freedom isn’t free. It’s been purchased with the lives of our loved ones. It’s a price that unfortunately will have to be paid over and over again.
Every Community and every generation has its heroes. These are loved ones who answered the call of duty, they answered knowing full well the risk and dangers involved. They stood for something greater than themselves. They stood for liberty, they stood for justice, they stood for the promise of a better life for their community. Some of these patriots came home; many did not. Our wall is filled with 92 names. The names of our loved ones. Dillon’s loved ones who paid the greatest cost of all.
Memorial Day is our promise to never forget them; It’s our promise to never forget their sacrifice.
Here in Dillon, we know the meaning of service. We know what it means to see our loved ones go off in uniform. We know Pride, we know the worry, and tragically we know the heartbreak that can come with service. Today we honor not only our fallen loved ones, but we also honor their families. These are the families that carry that grief every day of the year; not just Memorial Day.
Now as we look across at our Memorial Wall and see names like Chad Owen, Edward Philpot, and James Bullard and we are reminded of the cost of our freedom. As we ride by a cemetery and explain to our children why the graves are lined with our American flags we are reminded of the cost of freedom. As we walk by a folded flag displayed in our home or office, we are reminded how every family here has sacrificed for that beloved freedom.
As we stand here and reflect on this Memorial Day, let’s all recommit ourselves, recommit ourselves to the values our heroes fought and died for. Let’s remember their patriotism. Let’s strive to build a community worthy of their sacrifice. A Community that loves its country, honors its veterans, and defends the rights and dignity of every citizen.
To the families of the veterans; to the families of the fallen; your loved ones are not forgotten. Their stories of heroism live with us and will be passed down for generations to come. These stories are our history; from these stories our community and our nation have inherited its freedoms. To our veteran and their families, we see you, we thank you, we mourn with you, we honor you.
Dillon is a community deeply rooted in honorable service and rich with patriotism. Today is a day to remember local and national heroes. To our veterans in the crowd here today; Thank you; Thank you for continuing to carry the torch of service. You are our constant reminder that the price of freedom is not just paid on the battlefield, but in the everlasting commitment to preserve and protect what those battles were fought for.
To the youth of our community, please let Memorial Day be more than a holiday. Let it be a lesson, a reason to ask questions, a reason to learn these names on this wall, a reason to visit a grave with a flag, a reason to talk with a veteran. Learn the sacrifice and cost of the freedoms we enjoy.
As we close, don’t leave with grief but with gratitude. Don’t leave with sorrow but with inspiration, inspiration to live in a way that honors our fallen. Carry on with love and respect for our neighbors; and hold on tight to the dreams that make this Nation worth defending.
May God bless our fallen heroes
May God bless the families that mourn them
May God bless our Veterans
And may God bless Dillon, all our surrounding communities, the great State of South Carolina and may God bless the United States of America.
PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTOS BY JOHNNIE DANIELS/THE DILLON COUNTY NEWS, LLC, and BETSY FINKLEA/THE DILLON COUNTY NEWS, LLC
