Memorial Day: Marion honors 'veterans who did not make it home'

Maintaining a proper perspective about the true meaning of Memorial Day was the running theme during the annual observation on Monday in Marion. A large crowd gathered at Veterans Memorial Park to mark the day and pay tribute to the military men and women who have given their lives in service to the United States.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kenneth Belk, United States Navy (retired), served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony. He both admonished and encouraged the audience during his remarks. He noted that Memorial Day was originally established as Decoration Day in the years following the Civil War to honor those who had died in the great conflict. It became known as Memorial Day in 1971, a day to honor all military personnel who had given their lives in service to the nation.

"Between picnics this weekend, remember we are not honoring the veterans who came here, we are honoring those veterans who did not make it home," said Belk, who is a member of VFW Post 7201 and American Legion Post 584. "The official purpose of Memorial Day is a reflection and remembrance of those who died serving in the U.S. military. ... Memorial Day has always been a point of contention. Someone has always lamented that the holiday is drifting from its original meaning."

Belk then shared various anecdotes from a variety of sources that noted how Memorial Day's true meaning had been overshadowed by commercialism and cultural shifts.

"In 1869, the New York Times wrote that the 'holiday had become sacrilegious and no longer sacred, with a focus on pomp, dinners, and oratory,'" Belk said, quoting from the newspaper. "In 1871, in fear of Americans forgetting the Civil War and slavery, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, giving the Decoration Day speech at Arlington Cemetery, said, 'We must never forget that the loyal soldiers who rest beneath this sod flung themselves beneath the nation and the nation's destroyers.'"

Officials with the Memorial and Veterans Day Association of Marion County paid tribute to a pair of local veterans who were instrumental in the organization's founding and the establishment of the ceremony and parade in Marion: Richard "Dick" McDaniel and Cledis Whitaker.

McDaniel was a veteran of the United States Navy and served during the Korean War. He passed away on June 30, 2022. McDaniel's widow, Margaret McDaniel, was recognized during the ceremony on Monday.

Whitaker was a veteran of the United States Army and served during the Vietnam War. He passed away on June 14, 2017. Whitaker's widow, Jackie Whitaker, was recognized during Monday's ceremony.

"I want to say thank you for the sacrifices you've done back home to support our soldiers," said Dorothy Whitaker, one of the organizers of the Memorial and Veterans Day Association of Marion County and Whitaker's daughter-in-law.

Cadets from the Marion Harding High School Junior ROTC served as the color guard for the ceremony on Monday and were among the speakers. Cadet Elizabeth Simons read about the history of taps and Cadet Ethan Baker read the poem "Flanders Fields." The rest of the cadets who participated in the ceremony were Noah Daigneau, Blake Gibson, Nathan Hamm, Jimmy Hudson, Shawn Petty, Gaven Stoll, and Mike Wallace.

The Marion County United Veterans Council provided the rifle squad for the occasion. The unit fired off a 21-gun salute to pay tribute to the honored deceased.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Memorial Day: Marion honors 'veterans who did not make it home'