The Huntsville Item - Huntsville Remembers Fallen Soldier

News Article

By Stephen Green

Some say grown men don't cry. But men of all ages were in tears and no one judged them.

The HEARTS Veterans Museum hosted the annual Memorial Day service on May 27 where more than 350 people gathered to remembered soldiers who never came back.

Retired Lt. Col. Champe Miller hosted the event, which included remarks from Commissioner for the General Land Office Jerry Patterson and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas).

"It is the day we remember the great men and women that paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedoms and way of life," Miller said. "We must, today, perpetuate that legacy they gave with their lives."

He reminded the crowd of the ongoing military engagements in Afghanistan.

Patterson, whose son is currently on active duty as an attack helicopter pilot, took this day personally when he spoke earlier in the day at an event at the Houston VA cemetery.

"I looked to my left and saw my father…and on my right I saw my grandfather," Patterson said. "There is five consecutive generations (in his family) that served. But that's not unique (in Texas)."

When he returned home from military service in Vietnam, Patterson said veterans weren't treated as heroes like today.

"The difference today is that we are able to separate the warrior from the war," he said. "We always honor the warrior in this war…and that's a tremendous accomplishment."

Brady began his speech by describing a cartoon he saw with a little boy and his father at a barbecue.

"The boy asked his dad, "Dad, how much did all this cost?'" Brady said. "The dad replied, "Everything.'"

He said that's what Memorial Day is all about.

"It's a bittersweet holiday," Brady said. "We celebrate the freedoms we enjoy but remember the remarkable lives and sacrifices of those who protected our freedoms throughout the world."

Miller also recognized local soldiers who were killed in the line of duty and their mothers, in addition to the mothers of soldiers on active duty.

The Huntsville Men's Choir and the Greater Zion Baptist Church choir sang patriotic songs and received standing ovations from the entire audience. Ray Whitley sang "Proud to be an American" that got the crowd on their feet singing along with him.

After the event, the museum was open for the public to view the collection. Boy Scout Troop 114 was on hand to help organize the event and collect donations.

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