Community honors fallen with Memorial Day services

Allie Graves sings Sunday during a Memorial Day service at Memorial Gardens on US. Highway 67 North, east of Texarkana Regional Airport.
Allie Graves sings Sunday during a Memorial Day service at Memorial Gardens on US. Highway 67 North, east of Texarkana Regional Airport.

While many might see Memorial Day as a chance to hit the beach or barbecue, Iraq War veteran Charles Jones said the day has an actual and more sacred meaning.

"People quickly forget that the tradition of Memorial Day is actually rooted in those servicemen and women who gave their lives as sacrifices for the freedom to enjoy holidays and everything else in life," Jordan said during a Memorial Day service Sunday at Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Texarkana, Ark. "When Jesus hung on the cross and looked up to the Lord and said 'It's Finished' His sacrifice gave us a permanent light."

Jordan added that just like Christ's sacrifice had a permanent effect on man's salvation, Memorial Day should have permanent sacred meaning. "We can never and must never forget those servicemen and women who sacrificed all they had for us,"Jordan said. "Today I want to challenge you all to find a place of service for you yourself-be it at a church or anywhere else."

During his benediction, Patrick McReynolds with American Legion Post #58 picked up on the point Jordan made about service.

"For our military servicemen and women, the word service is the very fiber of the word freedom," he said. "Today is a day set aside for all of us to hold remembrances in ours heart regarding the cost of freedom. Thank you and may God bless you all."

The three remaining services will take place today with the first one, hosted by the American Legion, taking place at 11 a.m. at the Miller County Courthouse. Immediately following this service, there will be a Memorial Day Walk from the courthouse to the Korea-Vietnam War Memorial West Seventh Street and North State Line Avenue. There, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter # 278 will host the next service starting at about 11:45 a.m. Residents attending this service might want to bring lawn chairs.

The final Memorial Day service, hosted by Texarkana Funeral Home, will take place at 2 p.m. at Hillcrest Cemetery on U.S. Highway 67 West.

For residents not able to attend these services, as well as for those who do, there will be the National Moment of Remembrance observed at 3 p.m. local time all across America.

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