Memorial Day in Hardeeville was extra special, as the city celebrated the grand opening of her new Memorial Park. A standing room only crowd gathered under the pavilion to see the park for the first time and participated in a wonderfully planned ceremony by Parks Director Jennifer Combs and her team.
The program included the Margaritaville Veteran’s Color Guard, and a beautifully sung National Anthem by Benji Cates of Effingham, Ga. Our keynote speaker was former Marine and Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom veteran Brett Hatter, and is also a member of OPFOB in Ridgeland. Brett shared his experiences and tragedies and reminded us that Memorial Day is about those who never returned home. At an earlier service, I heard Memorial Day phrased a different way. We all are accustomed to wishing each other “Happy Memorial Day”. But it is not happy that our soldiers were killed in action. It is a day to remember, and so next year, perhaps we should wish each other to have a “reflective Memorial Day”.
The city also arranged for a special proclamation for Mr. John W. Harper, Hardeeville’s 98-year-old native son who served during WWII and the Korean War. The proclamation by mayor and council was presented in a trophy case, and a friend had a photo of “JW” in uniform from 1951 blown up into poster size. Mr. Harper wondered why so many out-of-town relatives arrived before the ceremony, but the surprise was maintained as we kept the program hidden from him. It was a tearful recognition for a man who has served his country and his city since his graduation from High School…