Memorial Day ceremony honors soldiers
Staff reporter
Serving in the military is more than preparing to serve. It is being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
During Monday's Memorial Day service at Marion Cemetery, pastor Phil Smith of Valley United Methodist Church of Marion said when he was in the U.S. Army he thought he knew what it meant to serve, "but I didn't."
"I waited for the call (to action)," said Smith, which never came. "I'm not sure if I was prepared to serve."
Smith joined the Army when he was 36 years old and served for eight years.
Monday's tribute was for those who served.
"The people we're recognizing today knew what it was like to serve," he said.
There is a line in the movie, "The Untouchables" that sums up the sacrifices military personnel are willing to make: "Are you prepared to do whatever it takes?"
"This morning when we look at the flags, there's a family and a legacy attached to each one," he said. "They were prepared to do whatever it took and did it."
Americans have many freedoms that are taken for granted.
"We don't smell gun powder and don't have conflicts on our shores," he said. "We have so much to be thankful."
