THOMASVILLE — On a day when America reflected on those who died in service to the nation, Dennis McGill Jr. wanted to make sure those in attendance at Monday’s Memorial Day observance didn’t forget the local men who fell in Vietnam.

The 11th annual community Memorial Day observance was held at Sunset Memorial Gardens and McGill, a Marine veteran and commander of the local Disabled American Vets chapter, read the names of 17 men from Thomasville who were killed in action during the Vietnam War.

“What had been heavy on my mind was those we had lost from Thomasville,” he said. “We often hear of all those who have given their all for the country. Today, I would just like to make it personal for us here in Thomasville.”

MdGill said the 17 killed touched the lives of those gathered in some way.

“Some of them were my classmates. We grew up together,” he said. “We accepted the challenge of going to Vietnam to serve. I am honored to be among those who came back. But a part of me will always be there in Vietnam because once you shed your blood, you never fully come home. You always leave a part of you wherever you served. These, our fallen heroes, will always be a part of us. Let us not forget them, because they gave their all to provide the freedoms we enjoy here and as well as those beyond the boundaries of Thomasville, Georgia.”

Gregory Thweatt, speaking for the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said Americans need to be there for the families of those who have lost a loved one in combat.

“No one can replace these fallen heroes, especially in the eye of the families,” he said. “But we can offer shoulders to cry on and assurance their sacrifices will not be forgotten.”

American service members are continuing to fight and die in the Global War of Terrorism, and Thweatt pointed out the end to this conflict may not be as noticeable as the conclusions of previous wars.

“There will be no surrender treaty signed aboard a battleship or in a diplomatic conference room,” he said. “While wars today might be less defined, one thing is crystal clear — our enemies want us dead. Fortunately, we have the men and women doing all they can do to protect us. But it is up to us to remember their sacrifice.”

The families left behind by those who have been killed in service also need to be remembered, Thweatt continued.

“We honor their service, mourn their loss and remember the families they left behind,” he said. “With heavy hearts, we recall those lost. They had names. They had families. They were our brothers and sisters, moms, dads and children.” 

Thweatt urged those in attendance not to have those who have served and died to have done so in vain.

“We must ensure the youth of tomorrow understand the true cost of freedom,” he said. “We honor the dead by helping the living and caring for those who have returned from war. America’s veterans deserve proper medical care and compensation for their many sacrifices to our country.

“We are truly fortunate to live in a country worth fighting for, and to be afforded a way of life worth dying for,” Thweatt said.

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.