Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you for being here this morning. Welcome to the Lawrence Lauderdale Memorial Day ceremony. I know the weather outside is a little questionable, but for us to gather and to remember those, pause at this time and pay tribute to our fallen brothers and sisters. Hopefully we can honor them today and say thank you for the sacrifice and their dedication. Hopefully there are family members here today. Our program today, we're going to focus on the theme, One Nation with Many Stories. Our nation truly is a story of each individual's commitment to serve our great country. As we share these stories of pain, resilience, and commitment, I believe each one of you will have a familiar story too. We have many different experiences, but we can understand the familiar emotions and actions of those who serve the country. The common ground is what we honor on days like this. Hopefully you have a program that was in your seat. And what we'd like to do is just present the program to you if you'll follow along in the program. We don't need to introduce each other or we don't need to say who we are and all of that. We're here to honor those that have fallen. So if you would just follow along in your program. If you would, please stand at this time for the presenting of the colors by the young Marines and remain standing for the singing of the National Anthem.

O say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight For the ramparts we watched Were so gallantly streaming And the rocket's red glare The bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave For the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Let's bow our heads in prayer. I'll have to use my big boy voice. Heavenly Father, we ask for your blessings as we gather here today to remember our servicemen and women who have paid the highest price for our nation's freedoms. As we gather here to honor their sacrifices, we take comfort in knowing that you are very aware of the price of freedom. Your son and our Lord Jesus Christ said this, there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. That's John 15, verse 13. Thank you for the freedoms that we enjoy in this nation as a result of the sacrificial love paid for in the blood by the servicemen and women of our great nation. Help us as a community and a nation to never forget what that means. We ask all this in Jesus Christ's name, amen. Please be seated.

Can you hear me? I'm off again. Test, test, test. Amy, help. Help, help, help. Don't you just love technology? Isn't it great when it works? Isn't it very aggravating when it doesn't? Absolutely it is. I'm afraid Mr. Warren's voice would not carry as well as some of us. Thank you, Meredith, for the great rendition of National Anthem. Test. On now? Good. Hopefully we won't pull it out again and we'll just leave it right there and leave it in the stand. Billy, you've got to get real close to the mic, okay?

Thank you.

Oh, it just takes a woman's touch, right, Amy? Can't hear me. That was supposed to be a joke. Many stories coming together as one. In his book, Albion's Seed, which is subtitled Four British Folkways in America, the author is David Haskett Fisher. And he makes this point. If your family has lived anywhere in the southeastern United States for at least four generations, you are of British heritage. You're either English, or you're Scottish, or you're Irish, or you're Welsh, or most of us are Mongrels and we're a combination of some of those, two or more of those. I did some research knowing that both of my families, both maternal and paternal families, fit this criteria of having lived in the Southeast for at least four generations. Here's what I found. My mother's maiden name was Caudle, C-A-U-D-L-E. Her father, my grandfather, had an impressive name, Stephen Bunyan Robinson Caudle. Sounds like he should have been the president of an international company, not a farmer in Marion County, Alabama. Family name is authentically Scottish. It's actually a variation of Cawdor, C-A-W-D-O-R. Well, that made me very happy when I found that out, because having been an old high school English and history teacher, I remembered that Macbeth, the central figure in the well-known play by Shakespeare, held the title of Thane of Cawdor, which is a region of Scotland, of course, He really wanted to be the king of Scotland, but that didn't work out so well for him. Then I found the name Warren, which is my last name. That is very English. Its meanings don't quite measure up to the thing of Cawdor. In fact, Warren is a rabbit hut. A rabbit hutch, for heaven's sake. And a second meaning of Warren is the interior of a house that has been chopped up into various very uncomfortable rooms. So I'm a hybrid. From Thane of Cawdor to a rabbit hutch. You can't beat that, right? It's very American. But I say all of this in order to say that all of us can trace our heritage to somewhere else, whether our ancestors came over on the Mayflower or on a slave ship into New York's Ellis Island or Angel Island, into the JFK Airport or across the Rio Grande. Anthropologists even suggest that Native Americans immigrated from Asia to the North American continent by way of the Bering Strait. Thus, our great country has, over the years, been described in one of four ways. either as a melting pot, that is, a nation that melds together all into one, or, no, some people say, not a melting pot, a salad bowl. We are mixed together, but is a salad with vegetables or fruit or a mixture of the two don't really meld together so well. Or some have described it as a kaleidoscope. You remember those when you were a kid, I'm sure. The beauty of the mixture of colors that show up when you look through it. And then others refer to our country as a crucible. Well, that gets into science, and I'm not so good in science, so I'll leave that definition for you to consider. Our country's international symbol is, of course, Lady Liberty, the grand statue which has stood proudly in New York Harbor since her official dedication in October of 1886. She was a gift to the US from our friends in France to commemorate the French and American alliance during the American Revolution in 1776, which happens to be very important to us today as we are celebrating the 250th year of that particular event. So she stands there in New York Harbor, from ground level to the torch in her hand at 305 and one inch tall. Because of her worldwide importance, she was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1924. That's the way the whole world views Lady Liberty, and so do we. So having said all of that, I want to close with the 14-line sonnet by the poet Emma Lazarus, which she wrote in 1883. This 14 lines, I'm sure you visited the Statue of Liberty and you read them, I'm sure. But the poem is engraved on a tablet affixed to the base of the Statue of Liberty. It's entitled The New Colossus, which is, of course, a reference to the original Colossus. That microphone keeps falling toward me. It either likes me or is going to attack me. It's entitled The New Colossus. which is a reference, of course, to that original Colossus at Rome that was done during the Emperor Nero's time. So here's the poet. Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame with conquering limbs astride from land to land, here at our sea-washed sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch whose flame is the imprisoned lightning and her name, Mother of Exiles. From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome, her mild eyes command the air bridge harbor that twin cities frame. The final six lines come directly from Lady Liberty herself. The statue is speaking. Keep, ancient lands, your storied palm, cries she with silent lips. And listen carefully to these. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shores. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Warren. I'm going to try to get this adjusted right quick before we start. I'm Ron Tyler, the mayor here in the city of Florence, and I want to welcome you to this year's Memorial Day service as we do, in fact, celebrate this country's 250th birthday. I stand here also representing the Florence City Council and I'm glad they're with us. Miss Katrina Simmons is here with us. Mr. Josh Bolling is here with us. Miss Alisa Dixon is with us and Councilman Thomas Spence was able to join us as well. Thank you all for coming. When I think about this particular service and this event and this country and the stories that are represented on this wall and the many stories that are represented here, I'm mindful of the fact that this country was built on the backs and the blood of some of the greatest citizens this country has ever known for 250 years. I don't have a personal story to share with you. Many of you know I was in law enforcement for most of my career. But I want to tell you a story about an individual who served in Vietnam. And in the late 70s, he became a police officer with the San Diego Police Department. He was a lieutenant. He had a young man who worked for him for the San Diego Police Department who was killed in the line of duty. And this young officer's family requested this lieutenant speak at his funeral. This would have been in the late 70s, early 80s, 10 or 12 years after this lieutenant served in Vietnam. And he came up and he spoke and he shared, reflected on his time in Vietnam and what it meant, the statement that all gave some and some gave all. Very fitting for a service like this today. That lieutenant who had served in Vietnam, speaking at a law enforcement funeral, looked out amongst the crowd and he said, I want to tell you what I've learned about war, and I can summarize it in three rules. Three rules. He said, rule number one that I learned at war is young men die. We all know, scriptures say, it's appointed unto man once to die, after this the judgment. We have an appointed date. It's different for all of us. Different eras in our life, different periods in our life. Comes too early for many. Comes too late for many others. We know it's appointed. He said rule number one is young men die. He came in and he said rule number two is you cannot change rule number one. Just like taxes, they say, we know that death is coming for all of us at some point. So he stood at this funeral and he said, young men die is rule number one. Rule number two is you can't change rule number one. And then looking out at a sea of law enforcement, their families who had lost a loved one protecting the community, much like I'm doing today. He said, I want to share rule number three with you. Rule number three is somebody has got to walk the point. Somebody has to take their time walking the point. That young man who was killed in the line of duty in law enforcement, not in the jungles of Vietnam, took his time walking point. We're memorializing many people who are here today, many others that are not reflected on this wall that you know about, you may have served among, may have been your family members in their own way, in their own time. They took their time, served their opportunity walking the point. You see, the person who was walking the point was the one who first encountered the enemy. He's the first who confronted the enemy, the first to receive enemy fire. The young man walking point was the one who stood between evil and bad and the enemy and the rest of his squad or his company. Or yes, you could say in between enemy and his country back home. We're memorializing people today in their own way. who gave all and sacrificed so much, as did their family, because they took the time to put themselves between the enemy and bad and everyone else back home. I read a quote today from a 98-year-old soldier who said, I gave my yesterday so that you could have your tomorrow. That's what these men and women have done. They gave their yesterdays so we can have a free tomorrow. I'm honored to be here today looking at so many of you all who represent the organization that you serve, the country that you serve, your families who are here, and I'm thankful. I'm humbled, and like you, I want to remember these people who have given so much on our behalf that we can remember them, we can pay our respects, and we can honor them on this day. Thank you all for being here and celebrating this Memorial Day with us. Chairman Pettis.

We are glad you're here today, and I think you made the right decision being in the Coliseum. We're remembering people who gave their lives for our country, people who were willing to die for our country, and they did give up their life. There's a lot of people that's willing that didn't have to give their lives up. We thank God for them. We thank God for those that did. And really, that should bring home to us who are living, whether you both in the service And civilians, we have a responsibility too. We can't let those men and women have died in vain. But we're to do everything we can to preserve our liberty, praying from local to federal, realizing what Bills are on the table and fighting. You may not be on a battlefield, but in a way, we're all on one. Fighting to not let any bill pass, contacting our senators, representatives, whoever, to keep our liberty. It's sad that we have a country now where some people in government would as soon go away. I don't understand it. I love the freedom to assemble, to speak, to bear arms, religion, freedom of the press. We could go naming them all. Every one of us here today, our whole country, should not let the people we're remembering have died in vain. They died to keep our freedoms. Don't we have a responsibility who are living to carry that on? I believe we do. So pray and be active in knowing what's going on and of any kind of threat to our liberty. I beseech you to do that. Today, I thank you for being here. County Commission, thank you for being here. It's just wonderful to see people that come here thinking about people that have passed on in our country.

Thank you. Before I get started today, there's a group of people that I want to say thank you to. These groups usually go unseen until needed. They perform our military honors at funeral details for our loved ones who have passed on. If you're a part of the American Legion Honor Guard, Patriot Riders, or any other Honor Guards, would you please stand if you're able? If you notice, there's not many. Our Honor Guard's numbers are shrinking. If more people who are able and available to do these ceremonies don't step forward, I'm afraid that these services will no longer be available. Our fallen heroes deserve these honors, but we need people to help with it. If you're able, if you're a veteran, please see somebody in uniform to help out. But today we gather to honor those who gave their lives in service to this nation. We remember courage and we remember sacrifice. Remember the names etched in stone and their stories that never made it home. As we stand here, we do so at the doorstep of a historic milestone. In just a short time, our nation will mark its 205th anniversary. 250 years of freedom and 250 years of sacrifice. That freedom did not come easy. It was earned by men and women who stepped forward when their country called. From the earliest days of this nation through every generation since, Americans have stood in the distant battlefields so that liberty could stand here at home. Memorial Day is where we pause and remember that cost. But today I want to talk to you about something we don't always see. Because sometimes the battlefield doesn't stay overseas. Sometimes it follows our warriors home. The picture I brought for remembrance to display is of my grandfather. He served in Korean War and the Vietnam War. And like many of his generation, he didn't talk much about what he saw. He continued his service, later retiring from the Air Force. He came home, built a life, raised a family, and carried himself with quiet strength so many of that generation were known for. He was part of that long line of Americans who helped carry his country forward towards that 250 year mark. But in 2006, we lost him. Not on foreign soil, not in uniform, but to a battle that followed him home in a battle he fought in secret and silence. We have all heard the VA statistic of 22 veterans a day commit suicide. However, that number's not accurate. The American Warrior Partnership did a more in-depth research and found the number's actually closer to 44. For many veterans, the war doesn't end when they leave the battlefield. It lingers in memories, in silence, in noises, in the weight they carry long after their service is done. We honor those who died in combat, but we also must recognize those who came home and were still fighting and later died in the battlefields from their memories. Because not all wounds are visible. Not all battles are fought with weapons. Some are fought in the quiet hours. Some are fought behind steady voices and familiar routines. Some are fought in silence so deep that the people closest to them never know it. And too many of our veterans are losing that battle. As we approach 250 years as a nation, it's worth asking, what does it truly mean to honor service? What does it truly mean to remember sacrifice? If we only remember those we lost in battle, but overlook those who are struggling after they return, then we are only telling part of the story. The strength of this nation has never just been how we fight in wars. It's been how we take care of those people who fight them. For 250 years, Americans have answered the call. Now the question is, who will answer theirs? Ecclesiastes chapter 4, verse 9 and 10 says, Two are better than one. If either falls down, one can help the other up. Will we see them when they fall down? Will we see them when the uniform comes off? Will we hear them when the words are hard to say? Will we stand beside them, not just in ceremonies, but in the ordinary, everyday moments where the real battle continues? Because honoring their service means more than words spoken on days like today. It means making sure that when they come home, they don't come home to fight alone. If there's one thing we can carry forward into this next chapter of our nation's history, let it be this. Check on the ones who served. Make the call. Have the conversations. Sit in silence if that's what it takes. Because sometimes the most important thing you can say is simply, I'm here. And to any veteran who might hear this, whether today or someday in the future, you're not alone. Your life still matters and your story is not over. As we move toward the 250 years as a nation, we will continue to remember those who gave everything in service to this country. And we will honor them best by taking care of those who are still here. Because sometimes the greatest way to honor the fallen is to fight for the living. Thank you.

Spent my week kind of Googling to look at the history of the city of Florence. I came up on a newspaper story that was from the year 1919. It was talking about the loss of World War I. It had a whole list of names, none of which that I could recognize, and probably a lot of people here can. But it talked about a place called Morrison Avenue. I wasn't familiar with that. I thought, where is Morrison Avenue? So I had to look it up on a map. Morrison Avenue is no longer in existence. It is now part of the UNA campus. But it talked about planting these oak trees along Morrison Avenue for every soldier that was killed in World War I. as an act so that their loss would always be remembered. I'm here today as a reminder. I'm here today to remind you of homes where a son or a daughter never came back. I'm here today to remind you of homes where there's an empty place at the dinner table, where somebody's wife or husband never came home. So many names and so many faces. And to those families that are directly affected by that sting and that hurt and that pain, I want to remind you that your loved one deeply touched somebody's life. From the very first time when they said, I want to be a soldier, or I want to be a marine or a sailor or an airman. Somebody looked up to them. For the first time that they showed up in their dress uniform, somebody noticed them. From the laughs and the jokes they shared on deployment, whether it was in a hostile land or they were just out training somewhere, they developed friends. And when that person was tragically lost, it still inflicted a memory on those that served with them. They loved them dearly too. So how are we to reflect, how are we to remember those soldiers from World War I, 1919, over 100 years ago? How do we remember soldiers like that? It's done through us. the fact that we're sitting here, the fact that we have so many freedoms that we can be thankful for. As a part of our nation, as we approach 250 years of American history, today we pause in the name of that memory to reflect on the generations of Americans who gave their lives for the freedoms we too often forget. For nearly two and a half centuries, brave men and women have answered. Some left farms or factories, classrooms, and some never returned. Their sacrifice is the foundation upon which our great nation stands. And here in Florence and throughout the Shoals, Service to country is deeply rooted in who we are. This community has long believed in faith, hard work, patriotism, and neighbor helping neighbor. Those values have carried generations of local sons and daughters into military service during times of conflict throughout our nation's history. From the revolutionary spirit that gave birth to this nation, to the Civil War era that shaped Alabama, to the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, the people of this region have always answered when America called. That is the legacy of all those who have given their lives That is what we stand on. That is our remembrance. When our sons and our daughters make the choice to put their lives on the line, and the ones that never make it back, that is the legacy of all those who have gone so many years before us.

In a moment, we will lay the wreath. The wreath is a circle. It has no beginning and no end. It represents the eternal gratitude and the fragility of an unbroken chain of liberty that binds one generation to the next. The flowers on the reef represent the beauty and fertility of life that we enjoy. A life bought for the price that we can never fully repay. When we lay the reef, we will not be just honoring the fallen as a nameless group. We are honoring the sun who did not come home for dinner. We're honoring the father and the mother who traded their safety for our children's future. We're honoring the friend who stood in the gap when the world was very dark. The beautiful quote that our mayor just used that they gave their tomorrow for our today is a remembrance that needs to start around every kitchen table in every household in America and start very early. Now think of the weight of that trade. They gave up their autumns, their weddings, and their old age so that we could have our Monday Mondays and our peaceful Sunday afternoons. They did not die for a political party or the pleading headlines. They died for the person standing to your left and to your right. They died for the idea of freedom that is worth more than any single lifetime. So how do we truly honor them? A wreath will eventually wither. The words spoken will eventually fade from memory. The way we truly honor our veterans is by how we choose to live our lives. Live a life of purpose. Live your life worthy of their sacrifice. A life with great gratitude. never take for granted the simple breath of a person in a free world. The memories created by LaLaurie become echoes of remembrance, and they reverberate through this hallowed place today. The precious memories continue to remind us of the heroic sacrifices made by the brave men and women of our services. as the notes of taps drift across this hallowed place, this hallowed place of remembrance. These precious memories should continue to be on our minds constantly. The notes that we hear that bring a lump into your throat remind you that you are alive. Let the tear in your eye remind you of the gratitude, and let the resolve in your heart ensure that their names are never spoken in past tense and are carried forward as we love our country and one another. To the fallen, we see you. We thank you. We will never, ever forget you. Would you stand with me, please? Here today to perform the laying of the wreath ceremony is retired United Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Ed Yieldy. Sir.

Present arms.

. . .

Good morning.

My name is David Faulkner.

We're parents of Major Baylor Blair Faulkner, an Air Force pilot. an instructor pilot, an 18 in Afghanistan, his brother, and a 248 instructor pilot in Columbus, Mississippi. Blair was survived by his wife, Rachel, and children, Campbell and Davis. We gather today not to celebrate a long weekend. We gather today not to celebrate a long weekend or the start of summer, but to stand in the shadow of a profound debt. Memorial Day is a day of heavy hearts and quiet reflection. It is a day when we pause to remember the wounded women who answered the call of duty and never returned home. We often speak of freedom as if it were a natural resource. simply something that exists, but freedom is fragile. It's a flame that must be protected throughout our history, and that protection has been required by the ultimate sacrifice. Today we honor the men and women who stood on the front lines of history so we can stand here today. Today I will mention two organizations who offers support for families or deceased members of military families of all branches. One of the organizations is the Gold Star Family, and secondly, the Fold of Honor. There's a group here today, especially it's the Gold Star Family. When a soldier falls, a family's forever changed. They carry the weight of that loss every single day. Not just on the last Monday of May. To the Gold Star families here today, we want you to know that no words can fill your voice, can supply a missing voice, a laugh, a hug, and a presence. Please know your loved one's service is not forgotten. And your sacrifice is seen, respected, and deeply honored by this community. The Gold Star family is an organization that dates back to World War I. when military families displayed a flag of each member of their family who served in the armed forces, and it was a blue star on a flag. So each family that had someone serving in the military displayed a flag with their residence. The Gold Star Organization has changed throughout the years, through the acts of President Roosevelt and Congress in 1945. In 1945, the Gold Star Wives of America was created. And in 1947, the Department of Defense created the Gold Star Lapel Pin, of which I have a copy of, and we'll discuss this in just a brief minute. The next of kin, deceased military lapel pins are for the families of children or siblings who perished in combat. The pin is a gold background surrounded by a purple four oak leaf spring. If your relative or loved one died while on active duty but in circumstances not qualifying for the Gold Star pin, the immediate families are entitled to receive it. The pins are available through the Department of Defense by completion of a Form DD-3, which I have some here if you guys are not If you have not heard of that, this is a picture of, and I know you can't see it from where you are, but I'll have it up here. If anyone is interested or has a loved one or relative that has passed in combat, you're eligible to receive a pin, and I have the forms and the paperwork to apply for that. I would have you do that. Many states offer various incentives and rewards and reminders of Gold Star and sacrifices and why we're gathered today. Alabama provides a tag. I don't know, a lot of times folks are not aware, but this is a Gold Star Family Tag. If you have lost a relative or son or whatever, you're entitled to receive a Gold Star Family Tag. And they're available I think the first tag is free. The second one is you have to pay taxes for it. The Gold Star family is a club. Believe me, you don't want any. But it's great to know that if you are in it, you have the support of people around you long after the loss. The tragic side of the story remains that many people will not find closure because of our ability to keep records In World War I, World War II, there are some 81,000 people, service members who remain as unidentified. Since 9-11, 16,000 troops have perished in non-combat related deaths while losing 7,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. One of the many support organizations, and there are numerous support organizations for veterans, for Gold Star families, and so forth. one of the groups that, or the group that we support is called the Folds of Honor. Our Blair's widow, Rachel Faulkner Brown, is a speaker for the Folds of Honor. And the children, Campbell and Davis, have received scholarships from the Folds of Honor for college. And they're also available in high school as well. As some background on the Falls of Honor, the organization began in 2007 when Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, an F-16 pilot returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq, became painfully aware of the realities that families face when a loved one in a uniform perishes. As the flight landed, the pilot announced they carried the remains of Corporal Brock Buckman As Lieutenant Colonel Rooney watched Buckley's twin brother walk alongside the flag-covered coffin to meet his family on the tarmac, among them was the deceased corporal's son, Jacob. Since that night, Colonel Rooney has committed his life to rallying patriotic Americans and meeting sacrifice with hope through the Foes of Honor. Since 2007, the Foes of Honor have serviced They've awarded actually 84,000 scholarships, totaling $344 million. And I would remind you that the Foes of Honor, of every dollar that you contribute, 91% goes to scholarship. They operate on 9%. Recently, the Foes of Honor has decided to include first responders. in the scholarship program. First responders are not only U.S. military members, but they are soldiers and they are firemen and policemen. So, you know, it is a, it's not really, I don't want to say joy, but it's a privilege to be able to support the military, the first responders, You know, and all of the stuff that go along with that. I want to, in closing, there's two things. We've already heard John 15, 13, but I want to share with you a story. Veterans never ask for a handout. They don't need a pat on the back. You never hear a word. Last week, I had the privilege to work in the post. And as Mickey can tell you, there are a lot of things you can and you can't do when you're working in the folks. But a gentleman came up with a Vietnam hat on. He was a veteran. And he asked, hey, I already have my ballot, and I'm ready to vote, but I can't read it. I left my glasses in the car, and he has a vision issue that requires these glasses for him to have the ability to read it. So I said, okay, we'll watch your belongings. He goes out, comes back, he can't find the glasses. He said, I don't know what I'm gonna do. There's a lady beside him in line. She says, sir, why don't you use my glasses? Well, which he did. He took the glasses, sat at the table, the lady sat at the table. About 15 minutes, the guy was having difficulty with the glasses, they weren't his, and he couldn't read. some of the ballot printing. I walked over to the lady and I said, I'm sorry that you're having to sit here. She said, that's okay. I've already worked today. All I got to do is cook dinner. And I said, well, if I need to get you a pair of glasses so you can leave, I'm prepared to do that. She didn't take me up on it. The guy finishes. The gentleman finishes. He brings his ballot to the front. We scan the ballot for him. He votes. And he takes the glasses to the woman and thanks her for it. So on the way out the door, I went over to the lady and I said, you know what? That's a very nice thing you did. Great gesture. She said, you know, we need more kindness in this world than that. And that man was a veteran, and he needs to know. And you know what? Kindness is something that we don't have to fight for. Doesn't cost a penny. And it starts with us. As the lady said, it kind of starts with me. So, you know, as we think about that, veterans will never mention that they need an avenue. And we need to be there to be that avenue. So I want to close with this. Just remember John 15, 13, which you've already touched on. Greater love has no one than this. to lay down one's life for one's freedom. Thank you guys for coming.

First, I want to say thank you to everyone that participated and spoke today. It's a commitment. It's a commitment that they make to come each and every year. If any of you have a story that you would like to share, please let me know. The stories that we tell and remembering those around us are what's important. And being here today shows that you care enough to show up and remember. Thank you to the mayor, chairman, the commission, the council. Thank y'all. A special thank you goes to the mayor's staff. Each year they put a lot into this and printing the programs and holding the different little organizational meetings that we do. A new touch this year, as you can see, is the wall, the wall of honor. And what we'd like to do is stretch that thing all the way across the Coliseum or all the way across the front of the memorial, wherever we have this event. It is to honor those that we want to honor in our military. So thank you for the ones that did bring the pictures and participate. Thank you so much for doing that. I also would like to recognize the veterans. It's not about us, but it is. I would like to recognize you and ask you to stand. We would like to say thank you for what you did, too. Please stand. God chose you, and he chose you to let you and your story continue. Off the battlefield and out of those fatigues, and I believe that's because your story isn't finished. Philippians 1.6 says, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to the completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Continue forward, veterans. Continue forward and let God keep writing your story and using you to serve those around you. Before I close, I would like to bring attention to the back page of your program. Our Veterans Memorial, located just inside Veterans Park on the left there, is available for you to enjoy. And today, the indoor museum will be open from 1 to 3. Weather permitting, if it gets pretty bad, we may close a little early, but there's one out there at 1 o'clock. We'll stay until the weather's bad at 3 o'clock. We'd love to have you to stop by, see the various service memorabilia that we have there, and share some of your stories with the caretakers. Let's close in prayer. Holy Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for allowing us to be here to celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy because of those that gave their lives before us. Thank you, Father, for this great community in which we live, and we get to share each day with those that have a common interest in serving those around them. Father, thank you for each and every one that's here. May God always bless America. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for being here.