The special meaning of Memorial Day was emphasized by speaker Linda Reed, District Commander of the American Legion, at the traditional service Monday on the south lawn of the Upshur County Courthouse.

“Having been established by Congress as a National Holiday in 1971, Memorial Day is a hallowed day that should be about honoring the more than one million men and women who died in the service of this nation in wars and conflicts dating to 1775,” she said.

She said the first Memorial Day on May 30, 1868, accomplished this on the order of Gen. John Alexander Logan, for the purpose of decorating the graves of the American Civil War dead.

However, she said, this day carries no special meaning, except an extra day off from work, a backyard barbecue, the start of the summer travel season, or the chance for merchants to hold annual Memorial Day weekend sales.

She gave a capsule history of the country’s wars and conflicts and what the monuments and cemetery markers represent, containing the names of those who have served their country, beginning with the American Revolution and containing up to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

“They do not represent one generation, but all generations that span the history of this country,” Commander Reed said.

She said that “It is very important that we remember, amid the sting of these losses (the ones who died serving their country), that our veterans did not die in vain.

“They gave their lives in the effort to protect our homeland, dismantle the terrorist network that threatens us, and ensure that evil aggressors are not allowed to run rampant over our land and liberty.

“The wars have changed over the years, but the character and caliber of the men and women of our armed forces remains constant,” she said. “Every generation has produced courageious Americans who have stood ready to put their own safety and well-being at risk to preserve our nation and defend its founding principles.

“At times like this, it is more important than ever to stand behind the soldiers who keep us free.”

About 200 attended the service.

Flag-raising was conducted by members of the Gilmer High School Jr. ROTC, with Lyn Alexander playing to the color during the raising, followed by him performing the National Anthem.

Rev. Huey Jones, a retired Navy CPO, led the Pledge to the Flag and then welcomed the audience.

Carlos Munoz of the Disabled American Veterans introduced Commander Reed.

The Whitlock family of Big Sandy, whose brother, Halley Don Whitlock, was killed in the Vietnam War, placed a wreath at the courthouse monument to the county’s war dead, followed by Taps played on the trumpet by Lyn Alexander.

A special event this year was a fly-over by Steve Dean in his T6 plane, accompanied by Frank Breazeale in Breazeale’s Glasair III, painted in the colors of the Air Force Thunderbirds. Breazeale’s wife Annette accompanied him in the plan.