By JAMES BROWN
Glasgow News 1
A crowd gathered in the Luska J. Twyman Municipal Building in downtown Glasgow Monday morning to honor America’s fallen soldiers.
Sacrifice was the theme of the annual Memorial Day ceremony, which was held indoors this year due to the weather forecast. Historically the ceremony is outdoors at the Glasgow Municipal Cemetery, and includes a performance by the Glasgow Community Band.
Matt Mutter, who leads the Barren County Veterans Association, opened by saying the band would not be performing because of the space restrictions. He closed the event by saying the annual Patriot Award, which is usually given on Memorial Day, will be given this year during the Veterans Day Dinner in November.
Between those opening and closing comments, several speakers offered their reflections on the meaning of Memorial Day.
Mutter said the day was an opportunity to pause and reflect on the sacrifices of soldiers and their families throughout United State history. He said those who were called to duty and died “were ordinary men and women who volunteered to serve in extraordinary ways.”
State Representative Steve Riley pointed out that every day “should be Memorial Day and every day should be Veterans Day.”
Lt. Col. Tyler Brown was the guest speaker for the event. He is the commander of the Glasgow-based 1st Battalion/623rd Field Artillery Regiment.
“There is no full way to pay that debt, but there is a way to honor” those who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms of our nation.
He said we honor them when we serve others, and that our freedom is a gift given through sacrifice.
Brown asked, “What are we going to do with the gift we are given?”
Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse gave a more personal accounting of sacrifice. He told the story of his cousin H.C. Biggers, Jr.
Biggers was killed during World War II not long after he completed flight school in California. Royse presented a letter that Biggers had sent home thanking his mother for some things sent from home while he was still in school.
His family was notified of his death in the European theater by The War Department in January of 1943, shortly after he arrived overseas.
“I’m standing here as the mayor of a community that I’m so proud honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Royse said.
