Sunday marked 100 years since WWI came to an end. A ceremony to honor veterans at the Museum of Mississippi History and the Civil Rights Museum on Friday celebrated every war veteran with a ceremony and wreath laying. Governor Phil Bryant was the keynote speaker at the event and become emotional saying he didn’t feel had had the right words.
“I feel so inadequate in speaking to these soldiers and these gold star families, but we also celebrate their service,” Bryant said. “A lot of them that are here today served their nation honorably and came home to build the greatest nation on the face of the earth.”
Donna and her husband Kelly Bagwell were recognized during the ceremony as being a Gold Star Family. Their son, Lance Corporal Marc “Lucas” Tucker was killed on June 8, 2005, while serving in Iraq. Tucker was 24 years old.
“It means a whole lot personally,” said Kelly Bagwell. “Each one of these events that we have like this it means more because we are demonstrating that we will never forget. Not just my son, but all that have served. That’s the reason why my wife and I work through the Gold Star Mother’s organization and other events are just to ensure that our younger generation that is coming up does not forget all of them who gave the ultimate sacrifice and those who are still serving. It’s the way we are going to stay strong, just being able to pass it down the line, if we don’t educate, if we don’t keep all of our thankfulness in the forefront, then I am afraid it will all go away someday.”
Governor Bryant added that laying the wreath symbolizes honoring all of the fallen soldiers, often the unknown soldiers who will forever lie on foreign battlefields.
“I remember as a young boy after Vietnam we made a mistake,” Bryant said. “We didn’t welcome our veterans and our soldiers coming home, so now we go back and we say thank you for your service to this nation and we appreciate their sacrifices.”
While Veterans Day is officially celebrated on November 11th during the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month of the year, It is being observed as a federal holiday on Monday, November 12th.
