Memorial Day services to be held

Published 8:57 am Thursday, May 21, 2009

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Two veterans groups in Fultondale are again working together to honor American military veteran for Memorial Day.

North Jefferson VFW Post No. 10250 and American Legion Post No. 255 will host the 14th annual Memorial Day program at the North Jefferson Veterans Memorial Wall in Fultondale at 10 a.m.

In case of rain, the ceremony will be at Fultondale City Hall.

The public is invited. There is no charge to attend.

“We will pause on this special day to honor our veterans past, present and future, and those who are preparing to serve the nation in days ahead,” said David Daniel of VFW Post No. 10250. “Our American veterans did not march to foreign shores armed with notions of glory, and conquest was never their goal.”

The names of six deceased veterans from north Jefferson County will be added to the Memorial Wall in Fultondale, bringing the total to 635 names.

The veterans to be added are:

• Charles W. Barbour

• James. C. Durden

• William A. Graham

• William H. Pyles

• Ancel B. Swindall

• Andrew N. Woods Jr

“Their names will be on the Memorial Wall forever, to remind us of their sacrifices, patriotism and dedication to our country in times of need,” said Daniel.

Deceased veterans’ names are inscribed on the Memorial Wall twice a year, for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Memorial Day, a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May, honors men and women who died in military service.

The holiday originally honored Union soldiers of the American Civil War.

After World War I, it was expanded to honor Americans killed during any military action.