LULA - With prayer, song and inspired speech, the City of Lula, its citizens and veterans joined the nation in remembering the nation's war dead this Memorial Day.
The audience lined the circular Veterans Park in the center of town on Main Street and joined in singing the National Anthem, America the Beautiful and God Bless America. Congressman Doug Collins, featured speaker, said Memorial Day is a time to ponder 'what', not why, when it relates to the loss of loved ones and friends in war.
"We get stopped in the discussion of what could have been or should have been," Collins said. " We ask why me or why my loved ones. It's not going to do any good to ask why. The question for us today is what; what do I do with the freedom I've been given and ask what do I do now to continue in the tradition of freedom and honor and respect for those who passed serving our country. When we see that, then that's the question for Memorial Day."
Mayor Milton Turner conducted the ceremony and after the closing prayer, he called on all the veterans present to line up, and called on all citizens present to come and shake hands with them. Among those veterans was retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Joseph Natividad of Lula. His nearly 30 years service included several army base postings, instructor at the University of Georgia and the University of North Georgia, and combat in the Vietnam War. He said Americans need to remember and understand Memorial Day, especially young Americans.
"We need to keep it going," he said. "A lot young folks are not familiar with this, they don't know the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. We're going to have to educate them."
Thursday
April 18th, 2024
10:38PM
